Devotion
by Urban Scrawl
Summary: The crew from the Normandy is on Shore Leave and the girls feel that Shepard needs assistance in finding herself some romance. But who would the Commander end up choosing? Fem Shepard/Kaidan/Garrus
1. Now or Never

The Standard Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware...although I would love to own some of those characters for myself =D

* * *

**Chapter 1  
Now or Never**

"The Normandy will be arriving in the Citadel within the hour, Commander." Joker's voice announced over the communication link.

"Thanks, Joker." Shepard replied, taking a sip from her morning coffee. She was sitting in the mess area with several members of the Normandy staff. Everyone was cheerfully chattering amongst themselves, excited for the few days of shore leave that the Commander had recently announced.

Shepard smiled to herself as she gazed upon all their excited faces. Her friends and staff had all earned a well-deserved break considering that they had all survived an impossible mission that had been deemed as suicidal.

Even though the Illusive Man had been furious at her decision to blow up the Collector's vessel, she knew very well that even he would not deny the heroic crew of the Normandy of a few days of rest and relaxation…on his tab, of course.

"Hi, Shepard." A voice broke her out of her reverie. "Mind if I sit here with you?"

Shepard glanced up and noticed her friend pull up a chair beside hers on the mess table. "Don't mind at all, Garrus."

"Do you have any plans for the next few days of shore leave, Shepard?" Garrus asked amicably, leaning back into his chair.

Shepard rubbed the back of her neck. "Well…to be honest with you, I haven't planned on anything in particular. I've been so used to working for the past several weeks that I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Do you have any plans?"

The turian tapped his talons on the counter. "Minor plans, yes. I wanted to get to the weapons specialist on the Citadel to re-align the scope on my sniper rifle."

"Always the wild child, I see." Shepard teased.

Garrus tilted his head and observed his commander. When Shepard first returned back from the dead a few months ago, her entire body was marred with unsightly scars. Doctor Chakwas had done a flawless job of clearing the disfigurements on Shepard's face. Her hair was a lustrous golden brown, which she continued to keep the length to her chin at the Alliance military standard. Her eyes were still the same sharp green, only now her pupils were always slightly glowing due to the reconstructive implants.

Garrus couldn't help thinking that even though Shepard was an excellent soldier and a brilliant commander, some things did not change. Even now, she still appeared to be completely lost when it came to doing things for her own leisure.

"Shepard…If you're not doing anything, would you like to come with me?" Garrus offered.

Shepard looked surprised. "Huh? Oh…uh, no. I'm fine. I'm pretty sure I'll find something to do."

Garrus nodded and stood up. "If you say so, Shepard. But all of us would really like you to actually…you know…take a break. We don't want you to spend your vacation pacing around the Normandy, looking for something to polish."

Shepard chuckled. "I appreciate your concern. Thanks, Garrus."

Garrus strolled off and Shepard continued to sip from her coffee as she gazed off into the distance. She mulled over his words. Even though the Normandy was almost fully repaired after their mission through the Omega 4 relay, she had been planning on fixing up several of the vanity items that haven't been finished due to low priority.

Shepard sighed to herself as she swirled the coffee in her mug. Even before she had gotten herself killed two years ago, she was always bad whenever it came to taking shore leave. Her thoughts drifted towards Ashley, who always talked about taking some time off to spend a night on the Citadel. She had always insisted that Shepard was too uptight for her own good and needed to loosen up. Of course, that was before Ashley had died back on Virmire.

Shepard pushed her mug away and slowly stood up. In a few minutes, they would be docked in the Citadel and her staff would eagerly rush out of the ship to start their vacations. She decided to go up to her cabin and feed her fish…perhaps she would think of something to do with herself after she was done with her daily personal chores.

* * *

Several people watched Shepard disappear into the elevator and began to murmur amongst themselves. Kasumi contemplated the situation for several moments and met the eyes of her female comrades. They all gave a small nod in acknowledgement to each other and slipped into Miranda's office, one by one.

Miranda glanced up from her work and a quizzical expression came across her face. "Well, hello ladies…what can I do for you today?"

"We just wanted to talk to you about our Commander." Kasumi gestured to the rest of the female team.

"What about Shepard? Is something wrong with the Commander?" Miranda looked concerned as she switched off her computer display.

"No, ice queen." Jack stretched out on Miranda's cushioned bench. "It's about Shepard getting laid."

Miranda turned questionably to the other girls. "Wait…what's going on here?"

Kasumi gracefully sat herself on Miranda's desk. "Normally I try to stay out of everyone's business, but I'm pretty sure Shep needs some special…company."

"Special…company." Miranda repeated.

Samara stood motionless in the center of her office. "I myself prefer to keep personal interests separate from business. However, I consider Shepard a friend and I also agree with the others that something must be done about her current state."

Tali nodded in agreement and sat in the chair across from Miranda. "Shepard has been pushed hard in the past several weeks. She's been pushed hard since she started in the Military. Shepard needs some special attention."

"Are you saying…" Miranda said slowly. "That Shepard needs a man?"

"And then the dim bulb brightens." Jack quipped, laying back with her arms crossed behind her head.

"Miranda, even you have to agree that Shepard's been pretty lonesome lately." Tali crossed her arms.

Miranda tapped her finger against her chin. "I do admit, I have been a bit worried about her plans for shore leave. It seems that she doesn't know what she wants to do during downtime. Still, that doesn't warrant that she needs a…companion…because she doesn't know what to do when she's free."

"And that is exactly why we give a lending hand." Kasumi grinned. "After all, what sort of girlfriends would we be to Shepard if we couldn't encourage her with the basic necessity of sexual gratification?"

Miranda tried not to look too uncomfortable at Kasumi's casual attitude towards sex. "Well…Tali'Zorah. You know the Commander longest out of all of us. Do we need to intercede and find a…suitor?"

Tali fidgeted. "To be honest, when I traveled with Shepard on the first Normandy…there was a friend who was interested in Shepard in the romantic sense. It was sad because Shepard died before he ever got a chance to confess his feelings."

"Are you speaking about Kaidan Alenko?" Miranda scoffed. "The man who spurned the Commander on Horizon?"

"Kaidan is a good person…he just reacted poorly to Shepard's reappearance. I know for a fact he still cares for her." Tali insisted.

"Wait, you want to recommend the bastard that refused Shepard?" Jack angrily sat up. "If anyone should have a shot with Shepard I think it should be the turian!"

"Garrus?" Tali was caught off guard at Jack's suggestion.

"Oh come _on_!" Jack rolled her eyes. "I always see him giving her the googly eyes. The only other guy I've seen giving Shepard that look is Taylor…"

"I think Garrus and Shep would make a good couple." Kasumi stated firmly, trying to get the topic off Jacob. "Amongst everyone on the team, he's been with the Commander the longest. There's no one else she can trust more than him."

Tali was suddenly feeling torn…she was positive that Kaidan would have been a good couple with Shepard because they seemed to match each other so well in the past. She never considered Garrus as potential interest to their Commander…it was the feeling of having a brother date a close friend.

Miranda tapped her finger against her chin. "Do you all really think that the Commander would even consider the turian?"

"Why not?" Kasumi encouraged. "Garrus has been a bit too high strung lately as well. Both of them are well suited for each other…better than that Alenko character."

Tali stiffened at the comment. Even though Kaidan's response back on Horizon was despicable to the eyes of others, she understood his bitterness of his reaction better than anyone. After all, didn't she also reject Shepard in the beginning when she saw that she was affiliated with Cerberus?

"I believe…" Samara finally spoke, silencing the rest of the girls. "Shepard should be given the option to choose her partner for herself. The only interceding we should be doing is to show her that she is a woman and she has options available."

"Well said, Samara." Tali nodded in agreement to the Justicar.

Miranda also approved of Samara's statement. "I agree as well. I guess if we're all so concerned over Shepard's romantic escapades, shall we all try to nudge her into the right direction?"

"The right direction is up to Shepard." Kasumi firmly added, which Jack followed up with a nod.

"Very well." Miranda smiled and leaned forward on her desk. "There's no harm in encouraging two good friends to spend more time with each other. Does anyone have any ideas on how to convince Shepard and Garrus to leave the Normandy together?"

* * *

Kaidan was in the office overlooking the presidium, inputting his latest report into the Alliance systems via Councilor Anderson's computer terminal. His brows were furrowed in focus as he re-read his documentation before submitting it to his superiors.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you continue to make a face like that, it may get stuck that way?"

The voice jarred Kaidan from his concentration and he glanced up to see a cup of coffee held before his face.

Kaidan let out a small chuckle and gratefully accepted the coffee. "Thank you, Councilor Anderson. Sorry that I didn't hear you come in. This is the last report I get to submit for the month and I'm itching to get it off my hands. Thanks again for allowing me to use your terminal…the one in my apartment is still being installed."

"Don't worry about it. Ever since I became Councilor there has been more talking and less reporting…which is a good thing I suppose, but my terminal hasn't been getting as much attention as it should be." Anderson relaxed in the chair across from his desk, taking a sip from his own mug.

"I envy you, Sir." Kaidan replied truthfully as he scanned the screen in front of him. "I'm not very good when it comes to paper pushing myself. I'll be enjoying the next few days of freedom after I send this in."

Anderson chuckled and reached for the remote on his desk. "And may I add it is a well-deserved vacation. Relax and take a breather…from all the reports I've heard back from our field agents, it seems that Shepard has successfully returned back from her mission with the Collectors and hasn't handed over a thing over to Cerberus. Feels like a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

Kaidan tensed at Anderson's casual comment. Of course he had heard the same news about Shepard as well…and even though he was just as relieved that Shepard had come back successfully from her fight with the Collectors, the guilt he felt doubled on his conscience.

He felt terrible for refusing to listen to Shepard when they met on Horizon. He had simply unleashed two years worth of survivor's guilt onto his old Commander. What made it worse is that Shepard didn't even flinch or react to his words. She had taken his accusations in stride and had wished him the best of luck.

Hell of a way to be treated by the dead woman he had loved for two years. Kaidan almost would have preferred it if his old Commander gave him a punch to the face. It would have been less painful.

Anderson didn't notice Kaidan's sudden silence and used the remote to switch on the display panel on the far side of the wall. Emily Wong's Citadel News program had just begun.

"…breaking news today, Commander Jane Shepard will be arriving at the Citadel today after returning from a crucial mission in the Terminus systems…"

Kaidan jolted at the sound of Shepard's name. Anderson leaned back on his chair and watched the broadcast intently with an unreadable expression.

Emily Wong continued her story. "Commander Shepard, Spectre to the Council, has been rumored to have been dead for the past few years but has recently resurfaced, actively continuing her mission to save the galaxy from various threats of danger. A source has confirmed that the famous heroine will be spending a few days at the Citadel with her crew. C-Sec Captain Owen Bailey has come out with a statement that he welcomes the Spectre and requests the civilians of the Citadel to respectfully keep their distance from Comma-"

Anderson switched off the news and turned to Kaidan. "It could be just a rumor, Commander…don't overly concern yourself with it."

"Right." Kaidan cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the terminal. Several small pangs of pain from an upcoming migraine began to thud dully at the back of his skull.

"If it's true, I'm sure Shepard will stop by my offices for a visit. Would you like to stay for a while and see if she arrives?" Anderson offered.

"I'll be fine, Councilor." Kaidan replied and submit his final report. The terminal panel flickered as the system confirmed his upload and quickly powered down. "Thanks again for letting me use your terminal. If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my apartment. It's been a long day."

"Very well, Commander. You're dismissed." Anderson nodded.

"Sir." Kaidan gave his standard military salute and left the office. As soon as the door swished shut behind him, he leaned against the wall and rubbed at his forehead. The migraine had become a dull throbbing pain but it was tolerable.

Shepard was returning to the Citadel. Perhaps this was the chance he was waiting for to redeem himself with his former Commander.

Kaidan straightened and took slow deliberate steps towards the elevator. It wouldn't hurt to stop by the civilian wards to see if Shepard had returned.


	2. Follow Me

**Chapter 2  
Follow Me**

"We are now docked at the Citadel." Shepard announced over the comm system. She smiled as she heard a resounding cheer echo throughout the ship. "You are all officially on vacation. Go out and have fun…just try not to embarrass me, will you? Dismissed."

Shepard looked over at Joker and gave him the nod to open the hatches. Joker quickly hit several buttons and the low hum of the releasing air locks vibrated throughout the ship as the exits opened up. She watched as most of her crew skip off the Normandy and into the Citadel docks via the monitors on the bridge.

"Thanks for your hard work, Joker." Shepard patted her pilot on the shoulder and gave a glance to the AI display on the side. "And you too, EDI."

"You are very welcome, Commander." EDI's monotone voice replied.

Joker stretched in his chair. "As far as speeches go, I would say that would rank around the…second best you've ever given."

"Very funny, Joker." Shepard leaned against one of the control panels. "What are you planning on doing with your shore leave?"

"The usual of course. Spend it dancing in the clubs, flirting with the ladies, running down the wards…you know…normal stuff that a person with brittle bones would do."

Shepard rolled her eyes at Joker's sarcasm. "You're staying aboard the ship, I got it."

"Do you have anything planned for yourself, Commander?" Joker sat back against his chair.

"Not sure." Shepard frowned. "I guess I'll go to the wards and look around for some medical supplies."

"That still counts as _work_, Commander." A female voice from behind joined in on their conversation.

Both Shepard and Joker turned around to see Miranda join them on the bridge.

Shepard shrugged. "Well, Miranda. What are the rest of you all planning on doing with this vacation time?"

Miranda ticked off the names on her fingers. "Jacob and Kasumi are going to go have dinner on the wards. Thane will be visiting with his son at C-Sec. Grunt and Zaeed are going to the shooting ranges. Tali'Zorah is accompanying Gabby and Ken as they go around to all the salvage shops. Samara says she will be going someplace for meditation. Mordin and Doctor Chakwas are visiting several of the Citadel clinics. Legion has opted to stay in the AI core until he is needed. And Jack…as long as it's not illegal, I'm sure we'll all be okay."

"And yourself?" Shepard asked, impressed at her memory.

"Yeoman Kelly and I are planning on shopping for clothes…she's been insisting on having a 'day for the girls'"

"Ah, I see…and Garrus said he was going to get his scope re-aligned at the weapon's shop." Shepard recalled what Garrus had told her earlier.

"Actually Commander, that was the reason why I wanted to find you." Miranda placed her hands on her hips. "I was hoping that you and Garrus would be kind enough to do an errand for us."

"An errand? What do you need done?"

Miranda did her best to keep a straight face. "Even though we have recently advanced our weapons systems, we always want to stay one step ahead. I've already gotten the approval to secure any necessary offensive upgrades for the Normandy. Since you and Garrus are the most knowledgeable in the field of weaponry, we were hoping you would aid us in looking around the selections available in the Citadel for anything that would catch your eye…"

"Wait a minute…" Joker interrupted Miranda. "Why the hell are you asking Shepard to do this on her vacation when she can easily do this any other…ow!"

Miranda had dug her heel into Joker's fragile foot. She turned her attention back to Shepard in her most professional demeanor. "We hate to ask this of you especially on shore leave…but we thought it would be something you would like to look into while you were in the Citadel."

Shepard smiled stepped away from the panel she had been leaning back on. "That's no problem. I don't mind browsing for some new cannons for the ship. Is Garrus okay coming along with me? I mean, it's his vacation time too."

"I'm sure he is." Miranda said. _At least, I hope he is._ "I just saw him in the mess area. You can probably catch him down there."

"Thank you, Miranda. I'll see you all later. Take it easy, Joker." Shepard waved at them and left the bridge.

"Shit, Miranda…I think you broke my toe!" Joker hissed, glaring at her.

"Then let that be a lesson to you, Mr. Moreau." Miranda arched her perfect eyebrow at the pilot. "Keep your interruptions to yourself."

"Right…" Joker growled and turned his chair away. "Crap like this always reminds me why I'm single."

* * *

"So…you need Shepard to go with me for this?" Garrus glanced up from his data pad.

"Absolutely. Both you and Shep know the most about this sort of thing." Kasumi said convincingly. The thief was sitting on the table at the turian's side. Garrus was sitting at the counter, trying to organize a list of items he needed to pick up while he was on the Citadel.

Garrus became confused. "I don't mind looking for upgrades for the ship…but don't you think Shepard deserves some time off?"

Kasumi snorted. "Come on, Garrus. You've known Shep longer than all of us. Does she really seem like the type of person who can take it easy?"

Garrus couldn't help to agree. "I guess you're right…in a way."

"Look, this isn't just because of weapons…" Kasumi's tone turned serious. "If Shep goes with you, there's a chance she could actually…you know…_relax_."

"You'd think she'd relax with me?" Garrus asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah. Shep isn't the type of girly girl who would like a spa day with the ladies. She's the type that would have more fun in some creepy, shady shop that's full of…sharp…things…" Kasumi made circular motions with her hands, trying to find the words to describe Shepard's fancies.

Before Garrus could reply, they heard the elevator behind them swish open. Shepard stepped into the mess area and Kasumi quickly got up from the table.

"Hi Garrus." Shepard approached them. "Hey, Kasumi…I thought you were going to go out to eat with Jacob?"

"Yes, I am…" Kasumi gave a theatrical smack on her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot so easily. I'll be leaving now. See you both later!" She gave a quick wave of her hand and skipped off to the elevator.

Shepard and Garrus both let out a simultaneous sigh and then shared a chuckle. "Well then, Garrus…ready to go look at some heavy weaponry?"

Garrus made a few taps on his data pad. "Sure thing, Shepard. Are you sure you want to do this on your vacation? I mean…I don't mind doing it alone."

Shepard gave a sheepish smile. "Actually, I was kind of glad that Miranda asked me to do it. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself for the next several days. If you already have plans, I can do it by myself."

Garrus shook his head. "I told you that I don't have anything to do other than to get my sniper rifle fixed."

"What are you doing there?" Shepard nodded at the data pad he was holding.

"Ah, this is just a personal supply list…I figured while we're here at the Citadel, I might as well stock up on some things."

"Why Garrus Vakarian…" Shepard leaned over to look at it. "Do you have a _shopping list_?"

"Huh…I guess I do. This is pretty depressing." Garrus snorted and tossed the pad to the side. "Some time in the weapons shops really would do me some good. Would you mind if we stop by Rodam Expeditions first? I want to get the scope alignment for my rifle taken care of so I won't have to deal with it later."

"Sure. Actually, I wanted to stop and say hello to Tiron myself. I'd like to see if he's restocked on ammo packs." Shepard grinned at the memory of the turian shop keeper. "You know his shop is my favorite on the Citadel."

"Aren't they all." Garrus rolled his eyes at her inside joke.

"Come on, buddy." Shepard picked up his discarded data pad and handed it back to him. "Let's enjoy our vacation the only way we know how."

Garrus got up from his chair and gave another sigh. "I take back my first comment…what you just said…now _that's_ pretty depressing."

* * *

**Two and a Half Years Ago**

_Tali was going over her maintenance rounds with Engineer Adams when Ashley Williams had stepped in the drive core area._

"_Hey Tali, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ashley nodded her over._

"_Sure…" Tali turned to Adams to excuse herself. "I'll be right back."_

_Ashley led the quarian over to the gunnery area. "What is this all about, Chief Williams?"_

"_Shh." Ashley glanced around to make sure nobody was around to eavesdrop on their conversation. "I wanted to speak to another woman about this…that's why I grabbed you."_

"_Why not Liara?" Tali asked._

"_Because in this case, the asari wouldn't be a very appropriate person to speak to, I think she's kind of involved in the situation too. Besides, she's not really a woman…in a technical sense."_

"_Uh…Okay…" Tali was already confused._

"_I wanted to talk to you about L.T. and the Commander." Ashley lowered her voice._

_Kaidan and Shepard? "Oh? What about them?" Tali tilted her head._

"_I'm pretty positive that L.T. has a thing for the Commander."_

_Tali was shocked. "What? That can't be true. The lieutenant is really nice but he's a strict military man. Subordinates aren't allowed to have relationships with their Captains back on the Flotilla…"_

_Ashley shrugged. "It's the same here…but it doesn't stop it from happening, doesn't it?"_

"_I don't think I've noticed anything different about Shepard's body language towards the lieutenant…" Tali murmured. _

"_Of course there's nothing…" Ashley sighed. "Shepard is completely clueless about L.T.'s little crush."_

"_Then…why are you telling me this?" Tali asked, still confused._

"_Because I think he's sweet on Shepard and I want to help the guy out." Ashley snorted. "God knows that he's unable to do anything himself. He's about as suave as a Krogan. I think the asari's been making the moves on Shepard too...so I definitely want to help L.T. out because he's clearly at a disadvantage. I was thinking you may want to help me out."_

"_Help with romance?" Tali awkwardly shook her head. "No, no…I'm not very good when it comes to those kind of things."_

"_Aw come on, Tali." Ashley placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you want to see Shepard get together like a sweetie pie like L.T.?"_

"_I'm really not good whenever it comes to these things." Tali repeated. "I'm clumsy enough with my own social interactions…let alone with someone else's. Get somebody else to help you out."_

_Ashley let out a huge sigh and rubbed her neck. "Damn. I was hoping for another hand. Do you not like the idea of L.T. and the Commander together like that?"_

_Tali shook her head. "No, I really like the lieutenant. I just don't want to interfere with anyone's love life. It's a quarian thing. That way the romance will be more special when it blooms on it's own."_

_Ashley let out a chuckle. "All right, I get you. But heads up, if L.T. screws it up for himself…I want you to help me out. There's only so much we humans can do on our own, you know?"_

* * *

"Hellooooo…Tali, are you there?"

Tali snapped out of her daze and quickly turned around. Gabby had been trying to get her attention for the past minute. "Oh, I'm sorry…I was thinking about something."

"I'll bet…I wanted to show you some of these spare ship parts in the catalog." Gabby was pointing at the purchasing terminal. "It looks like some good stuff that you can send back to your people."

Ordinarily, Tali would be in her own personal heaven to be in the Citadel salvage shops. Unfortunately her mind was too full with worry over Shepard and Garrus to fully enjoy herself. She cared for both of her crewmates deeply…and under normal circumstances, she would be overjoyed that the two most socially awkward people she knew would somehow get together.

Tali couldn't shake the nagging feeling of guilt that she felt in her gut. When she served on the first Normandy two years ago, she was one of the very few people who knew about Kaidan Alenko's true feelings. The other girls disliked Kaidan on the principle that he had turned his back on Shepard when she needed him the most. Their loyalty to the Commander was solid…but for Tali, she was torn because she also had loyalties with her former teammate.

A former teammate who was in love with Shepard.

"Is this stuff not good enough for you, boss?" Ken brought her back to reality again. Both he and Gabby were scrolling through the shop's terminal, waving Tali over to look at it with them.

"Ah, yeah…" Tali glanced out the shop window and let out a small gasp.

"What's wrong?" Gabby turned back and saw Tali staring out at the wards.

"Uh…I'll be right back!" Tali ran out of the store before Gabby and Ken could protest.


	3. Candidness

**Chapter 3**  
**Candidness**

Shepard accompanied Garrus as he dropped off his rifle with the shop keeper. They were promised that it would be done within the hour and instructed to wait around the premises. As they waited, Garrus browsed the catalogs while Shepard watched the holo advertisements on display at the shop's window.

"Is it just me or do these Targeting VI Upgrades get more and more expensive?" Shepard frowned, staring at a holo of the featured product.

Garrus walked up next to her and observed the display with her. "People are always willing to pay more for the latest gadget, Shepard. That VI would sure come in handy for my own battle rifle."

Shepard gave an unladylike snort. "You can aim just fine without the help of something that costs over 20,000 credits."

"Prices for items always rise with time, Shepard. It's just a shock to you because you've been dead for two ye…" Garrus caught himself before he finished the sentence. He quickly glanced at Shepard who kept gazing at the holo with a sad smile on her lips. "Uh…I mean…" Garrus stammered, chastising himself for being so inconsiderate.

"It's okay, Garrus. It's true." Shepard let out a small sigh. "I keep forgetting that I've been gone for two years…and the universe just kept going on. Feels like I got left behind in life."

Garrus considered his words for a moment. "For our old team on the Normandy…we all felt like we were forced to go on without you in the past two years. We never forgot about you, Shepard."

"Tell that to Kaidan." Shepard replied jokingly.

Garrus' expression turned hard. "Alenko is a tool."

"Hey…hey…" Shepard turned to look up at Garrus. "I was just joking with you. I told you guys that I have no hard feelings against Kaidan."

"I was there on Horizon with you, Shepard." Garrus said flatly. "Even though you don't have anything against Alenko, I sure do. You saved his life and he returns the favor by telling you off and refusing to listen to you. It's an insult that he turned his back on all of us."

"To be fair, Wrex and Liara didn't join us either. Everyone was dealing with their own issues."

Garrus shook his head. "Wrex and Liara are different."

"What's so different?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.

Garrus remained silent…he decided to keep his mouth shut before he said something that he would truly regret.

Shepard misunderstood his silence. "Don't worry, Garrus. I'm pretty content with you, Tali, Dr. Chakwas, and Joker back on my team. If you ever feel like reminiscing, just hunt me down to share a drink…or ask me to go with you to snipe some mercs…whichever you prefer."

Garrus finally let out a chuckle. "Only you, Shepard." _Only you would be the most impressive warrior in the galaxy but be completely clueless when it comes to anything else._

Shepard grinned and amicably wrapped her arm around his waist. "Don't worry about Kaidan, Wrex, and Liara…even though they all went their own ways, it makes me sad but I don't hold it against them. I'm happy that you decided to stick with me."

Garrus cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Thanks, Shepard…uh…the feeling is mutual."

The holo switched to the next advertisement and an Asari in dress robes appeared on screen. "Shepard…" The advertisement spoke to her. "Wouldn't you like to show Officer Vakarian a good time? Try the new line of lingerie designed by renowned designer Verena…"

"Whoa!" Shepard and Garrus took a step back as a well endowed Asari model suddenly popped onto the holo wearing nothing more than a few scraps of fabric.

"Shepard…we guarantee that if you wear this for Officer Vakarian, you will experience a night that you will never forget." The holo continued to flash several different models wearing outfits more skimpier than the last.

Garrus bent his head down to her. "I'm pretty sure if I saw you wearing one of those, _I _would be the one who would have the night I would never be able to forget."

"Laugh it up, Garrus." Shepard punched him in the arm and they both shared a long laugh.

* * *

Kaidan walked through the wards, trying to convince himself that there was no way he would be able to run into Shepard like this. He normally avoided the civilian wards on the Citadel because of the flashing lights always aggravated his implants.

After several minutes of strolling around, he realized what he was doing.

_This is ridiculous. _Kaidan thought. _There's no way I would be able to find her in the middle of all these crowds._

A flush of embarrassment came over him as he grasped the scenario he had been playing in his mind in the past several minutes.

He was hoping to come across Shepard by coincidence…possibly in front of one of the stores while she was browsing for souvenirs. He would act surprised to run into her on the Citadel and after a few seconds of awkwardness, invite her to have a drink. While over drinks, he would apologize to her for his misunderstanding on Horizon. And from that point on, hopefully the alcohol would fortify his courage and allow him to finally tell Shepard how he felt about her all these years…things he couldn't put into words on that email he had sent her several weeks ago.

He let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He knew he was being dumb, he knew that it was a fruitless endeavor. _Ash, if there really is a God like you said…would He give me a break and bring Shepard back into my life?_

"…Shepard…"

Kaidan's ears perked up as he heard the sound of her name. He turned his head about, trying to find out where the voice came from.

And then he found her, on the far side of the ward, in front of the weapon's shop.

Amongst the crowd of people in his view, he saw her staring at an advertisement holo panel. She was wearing civilian clothing, a black t-shirt with gray pants with a pistol holstered at her hip. The voice he heard was coming from the personalized advertisement. Whatever the holo was, it apparently amused her to the point it was making Shepard laugh out loud.

She always looked amazing whenever she laughed.

_This is your chance. _Kaidan started to take deep breaths. _This is exactly what you came down to the wards for…do it!_

He took the shaky first step and began to stride towards her…a hundred lines of greetings were being processed in his brain all at once, trying to get a grasp on the one he would use on Shepard.

As he drew closer, his heart began to pound at chest…anticipating the sweet moment he would be able to hear her say his name once again.

"Laugh it up, Garrus."

Kaidan froze in his tracks as he heard Shepard speak. The people in his way slowly dispersed into different directions and he saw the whole picture in front of him.

Shepard was with Garrus, her arm was around the turian. She watched her lift her arm off his waist as she gave him a mocking punch on the arm. They both ended up laughing with each other, pointing at the holo in amusement.

Kaidan felt as if somebody had punched him hard in the stomach. He felt his heart sink to the ground as he watched Shepard being so unguarded with someone other than himself.

Kaidan remained unnoticed as Shepard nudged him and nodded towards the shop. Garrus followed her inside and they both disappeared from his sight.

He winced as he felt a sharp stab of pain in the back of his head. _I…I need to get out of here. _

A sudden tap on his shoulder caught him by surprise. He spun around and reached for his gun but a hand grabbed his wrist before he could yank it from his holster. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the quarian in front of him.

"Tali?" Kaidan asked, unsure if it was her.

"You scare too easily, Commander Alenko." Tali tried to keep her tone friendly and released his wrist. "Sorry to sneak up on you like that."

"Feels like it's been ages since I've seen you las…" Kaidan suddenly winced and backed away. The migraine intensified and he felt his vision blur.

"Alenko?" Tali stepped forward, worried he was going to fall over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Kaidan waved her off. "Migraine."

Tali remembered that the former lieutenant experienced bad pains from his L2 implants. However, Tali never recalled seeing him so pale. "We can catch up later, let's get you to the Citadel clinic so you can get some medication."

"No, no…" Kaidan tried to back away. "I'm fine. I have drugs at my apartment."

Tali grabbed hold of his arm. "Don't be stubborn. Come on, the clinic is right over there. You're Alliance Military, I'm sure they'll foot the bill. If not, Shepard definitely will."

The mere mention of Shepard's name shot a dagger of pain through his being. Tali took his grimace as a symptom from the migraine. She began to lead him down the ward. "I'll help you get there, let's go!"

Kaidan had no choice but to follow her lead as she dragged him through the crowds. The soft lights illuminating from above felt as if they were blinding him. The only image he could see before his eyes was the scene of Shepard laughing so happily with Garrus.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry that this chapter had to be so short, I had to cut it from the next chapter since it was too long! ^^


	4. Always Watching

**Chapter 4**  
**Always Watching**

At Chloe Michel's clinic, Mordin and Dr. Chakwas were browsing through several data pads, looking over the most recent advancements in medical equipment. Dr. Michel's offices were empty, but she was glad for the lull so she could entertain her guests from the Normandy.

"Do you see anything useful?" Dr. Michel approached them, stirring at the cup of tea in her hand. "Those stupid medical supply salesmen keep pushing their catalogs here. Even if I insist that my budget isn't big enough to buy anything new, they just won't take no as an answer."

"Quite sufficient." Mordin answered, quickly scanning one pad and discarding it for another. "Despite Cerberus connections, many items listed here are not available on the Normandy. However, most upgrades presented in the lists seem to be…ahem…useless."

Dr. Chakwas nodded in agreement. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Dr. Solus. Even with the budget that Cerberus offers us, the equipment we have is sufficient enough."

The door to the med clinic slid open and all eyes in the clinic turned to the quarian who was half-dragging an Alliance Commander behind her.

"Tali'Zorah?" Dr. Chakwas quickly cast aside the data pad she had been looking through and went to her side. "Who is this?"

"An old friend." Tali replied. "You don't recognize him?"

Dr. Chakwa's eyes widened in surprise. "Alenko?"

"Commander Alenko?" Dr. Michel looked just as surprised.

Tali grabbed a chair for her friend while the two other women immediately began to diagnose his condition. Mordin simply continued to browse through the catalogs of medical equipment.

"I'm fine…I really am!" Kaidan protested, his implants flaring from his irritation.

"Migraine pains." Dr. Chakwas murmured, lifting Kaidan's chin to look at his pupils. "Do you have any medication on hand, Dr. Michel?"

"Yes, allow me to prepare a syringe immediately." She quickly went to the adjacent room.

Dr. Chakwas tilted her head at Kaidan. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you, Alenko. The last correspondence I've received from you was before you were deployed to Horizon."

"Ah…yeah…" Kaidan's expression was pained, but tried to meet her eyes. "Sorry about that…I didn't really know how what to say after I…uh…"

"Rejected Commander Shepard's proposition to enlist in her undertaking of the mission with the collectors." Mordin interceded from behind. "In turn, caused much distress amongst the crew."

"Distress?" Kaidan's head whipped between Mordin and Tali. "I caused Shepard trouble?"

Before Tali could reply, Mordin quickly input his answer. "Not Commander Shepard. Shepard showed no signs of emotional anguish…all physical and psychological signs were normal." Mordin glanced up from his data pad. "Resentment proliferated amid the female cohorts…they deem that Staff Commander Alenko's decision to desert Shepard is a direct correlation to disloyalty to their amity."

Kaidan processed Mordin's words. "Wait…you mean Shepard wasn't angry at all?" He looked at both Tali and Dr. Chakwas. "Is this true?"

Tali awkwardly linked her fingers together. "Shepard is the type to keep her anger to herself…"

Kaidan was speechless when Dr. Michel came back with a syringe in hand. He didn't even wince as she deftly injected the medication into his arm.

"Is Shepard…" Kaidan's throat went dry. "In a relationship with someone?"

Tali didn't answer, but Dr. Chakwas spoke up. "Not that I know of. I'm sure if Shepard was with someone, word would get around."

Kaidan's migraine slowly faded away but his head began to hurt for different reasons. He turned to Tali because she seemed to be uncomfortable with the topic. "Is Shepard with…Garrus?"

"Garrus?" Dr. Michel's eyebrows rose up in interest. "Is Shepard pursuing a relationship with Garrus? I think they would make a lovely couple."

"Shepard with Garrus?" Dr. Chakwas repeated, clueless to Tali and Kaidan's discomfort. "Why do you think they would be good together?"

Mordin was the one who replied. "Both Commander Shepard and Officer Vakarian share similar personality traits that interconnect well for quixotic affairs. Both have experienced traumatizing events of betrayal. Both have limited skill in social interaction. Plus Officer Vakarian has saved Shepard's life on the line of scrimmage on multiple occaisions…which adds to the effect of the redeemer clad in immaculate protective covering."

When the room remained silent at Mordin's comment, he let out a small cough. "A knight in shining armor."

Tali began to squirm under Kaidan's suspicious gaze. Tali wished she could tell him the entire truth…that the girls all got together to conspire a way to bring Shepard and Garrus together. She also wished she could tell Kaidan that she knew about his feelings for his former Commander…and how Chief Williams had been rooting for him.

But now was definitely not the time.

"They're not in a relationship." Tali replied honestly. "Not a romantic one…"

Kaidan shook his head and rose up from his chair. "Thank you Dr. Michel…my migraine is now gone. It's really good to see you again Dr Chakwas…Tali. Nice meeting you again, Dr. Solus. I'd like to stay, but I really need to get back to my apartment."

"Don't be a stranger, Commander Alenko." Dr. Chakwas shook his hand. "Make sure to send me another e-mail when you get a chance."

"I will. Thanks for everything again." Kaidan gave a brief nod of his head and quickly stepped out of the office. He just wanted to get back to his place so he could put this whole experience behind him.

"Commander!" Tali yelled from behind.

Kaidan turning around and saw the quarian had followed him out of the office. "What is it, Tali? I really need to get back…"

"Yes…I know." Tali caught up and took hold of Kaidan's hand. She placed something in his palm and folded his fingers over the item "This is for you. Take care, Commander. Don't be a stranger."

Before Kaidan could reply, Tali ran off into the wards and he quickly lost sight of her in the crowds. Curious, Kaidan looked at the object that she had given him. It looked like a data storage chit for an Omnitool.

Scratching his head, he pocketed the item and strolled over to the cab pedestal to catch a ride to his apartment.

* * *

Shepard and Garrus finally left Rodam Expeditions several thousand credits poorer. Garrus had his sniper rifle strapped to his back while Shepard carried a long rectangular box to her side. She carried the box as if she was handling a newborn.

"I can't believe you let Tiron talk you into buying a new grenade launcher." Garrus sighed.

"Why is it so hard to believe? He gave me such a big discount on it." Shepard held the box closer.

"Don't you already have a grenade launcher?"

"Well, yes…but it was getting old…and this one can hold up to twenty grenades…_twenty_!"

Garrus chuckled. "Remind me not to stand between you and your toys."

"Just let me go back to the docks to drop this baby off on the Normandy and we can go look for those upgrades for the ship." Shepard gave the box a pat.

"Your call, Shepard."

As they approached a vending area, Shepard nudged him to the side. "Ah, I'm really parched. Mind if I get a quick drink?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." Garrus followed her off to the side with several neon colored vending machines flashed brightly for attention.

Shepard placed her box to the side and began to browse her options on one of the machines. "Do you want a drink too? My treat."

"How can I turn down such a generous offer?" Garrus jokingly replied and leaned against the wall. "Just get me something that won't kill me off with an allergic reaction."

"You got it. One Tupari Sports drink coming up for my dextro-amino sensitive buddy." Shepard pressed a button and the machine dispensed two narrow cans.

"Hey, Shepard…while we're on the Citadel, did you want to visit Councilor Anderson?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know…maybe." Shepard handed him his drink. "To be honest, I don't want to put him in a bad position. I am the 'rogue' Spectre, after all."

"A rogue Spectre is still a Spectre." Garrus flatly responded. "You shouldn't have to tip-toe around council space just because the idiots in charge don't want to admit that there's danger with the Collectors."

"I know, I know." Shepard sighed and popped the lid off her can. "But I don't want to drag Anderson's reputation down with me. He's one of the few people in the galaxy who believes what I say."

"You saved everyone from the Collectors…"

"_We_ saved everyone." Shepard corrected him.

Garrus scowled. "I just don't like when people talk bad about you like this. You sacrificed so much, only to have a bunch of ungrateful bureaucrats turn their noses up on your hard work."

"Relax, Garrus." Shepard smiled at him, trying to lighten his mood. "Leave the anger and the frustration to me. Let's not talk about this kind of stuff on our shore leave. We only have so much time for vacation…I really don't want to spend it thinking about Udina."

Garrus finally rewarded Shepard with a laugh and opened his drink. "Fair enough. You know best, as always. What do we talk about then?"

"Hm…" Shepard took a sip from her can. "How about we talk about your love life?"

Garrus spit out the drink in his mouth in surprise. He gave Shepard a wild look. "Wait, what love life?"

"Don't play coy." Shepard finished off the last of her juice. "I'm not as thick-headed as everyone seems to think I am. I feel like the others pushed me on you for this shopping trip because they were worried about you."

"Worried about _me_?" Garrus asked incredulously.

"Of course…why else would they ask you to come with me?"

"Shepard…you ever think they might be worried about you?" Garrus crossed his arms and tilted his head at her.

"What? Why would they be worried about me?" Shepard laughed in disbelief.

"Well, for one thing…it's not like you've had any romantic company in the past several years."

"To be fair, I've been dead."

"I mean before all that too. I'm sure you haven't been in any sort of…uh, you know…since you've been assigned to the original Normandy." Garrus couldn't believe he was having this conversation with her.

Shepard gave Garrus a sly smile. "Why, Garrus…are you inquiring about my sex life?"

Garrus refused to be bullied into shying away. "Well…it's true, isn't it?"

"If you _must _know…" Shepard threw away her empty can into the nearby trash compactor. "Yes, I haven't been in any sort of relationship before I got assigned to the Normandy. The Alliance Military kind of makes meeting new people a low priority, despite what it claims in recruitment ads."

Garrus hesitated. "What about Alenko?"

"What _about_ Alenko?" Shepard gave Garrus a puzzled look.

"Ah…uh…never mind then." Garrus finished off his drink and threw the can away.

"Wait, wait…" Shepard laughed and motioned at Garrus to slow down. "Did you think that Kaidan and I were…"

Garrus waved her off. "Come on, Shepard…let's get back to the ship."

Shepard grinned and wouldn't let him drop it. "Sorry to break it to you…but Kaidan hasn't even asked me to a movie, let alone ask me to sleep with him. Did everyone on the old crew think that we were both…"

"No." Garrus answered, wishing he never brought up the topic. "It was my own personal assumption. I observed a lot of things on the old Normandy. I was thinking that was the case because of how Alenko was behaving with you."

"Behaving? How was he behaving with me?"

Garrus sighed. "Like a love-struck school boy."

Shepard gave another laugh at his description. "I guess that's a pretty accurate perspective on his personality. Sorry to disappoint you…but Kaidan's never treated me with any more regard than just a friend. But I'm sure Kaidan would appreciate the fact that you've been watching him like that."

"I never watched Alenko…I always watched you." Garrus replied quietly.

Shepard was taken off guard by Garrus' answer. He was looking away, as if he suddenly found the Citadel ceilings extremely interesting. Shepard decided it would be best to change the subject and cleared her throat. "Let's get back to the Normandy and drop my new grenade launcher off…and then we'll get the upgrades out of the way."

"Ah, let me." Garrus reached for the box.

"No, it's okay…I can carry it." Shepard protested but Garrus already had it over his shoulder.

"I got it. You were making me look bad. This box is as tall as you are." Garrus nodded at the package he held.

Shepard resisted the urge to bat her eyelids. "Officer Vakarian, my savior."

"I'll take that as a thank you." Garrus snorted and followed Shepard back to the docks.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your sweet comments! ^_^ They totally make my day!


	5. Forgiveness

**Chapter 5**  
**Forgiveness**

Kaidan swiped his key card in the scanner and the door hissed opened. As he stepped in, the lights flickered on, softly illuminating his apartment. He took off his armor and holster and placed them inside his hallway closet. He kept on his navy blue t-shirt and black slacks he wore underneath his standard military apparel.

He stepped into the small kitchen and opened his refrigerator to take out a small bottle of water. He slowly walked into his living room and sat down heavily onto his sofa chair. He took a long swig from his water and began to stare off into the distance, his mind was swimming with thoughts of Shepard.

Kaidan had been tormenting himself since their encounter on Horizon. He had been so upset and so many angry words had spilled out…and only after he had watched Shepard's new ship fly off into the distance was when he realized what he had done.

He had acted like a colossal jerk towards his former Commander…hell, towards the woman he had been in love with for the past couple years. No words of apology would have been enough to make up for the accusations that he had thrown at her. Kaidan was positive that Shepard would be seething with rage, angry at his betrayal, and completely unwilling to forgive him.

And he found out today that Shepard held no ill will against him at all.

The thought of her indifference was worse than the thought of her anger. It made him feel as though that Shepard didn't care about his existence enough to scorn him for turning his back on her. She simply took the blame and continued on with her new life.

A new life that involved their turian teammate.

Tali had looked distinctly unnerved while he questioned Shepard's relationship with Garrus. There was more to the situation than what she had let on to know.

Kaidan dug into his pocket and took out the chit that Tali had given him before she ran off. It looked like a simple omni-tool chit…nothing out of the ordinary. He wondered why she would give him such a thing without an explanation.

He set down his water bottle down on the nearby coffee table and quickly pulled up his omni-tool screen. He plugged in the chit and waited for his omni-tool to scan the item.

Suddenly, a holo map sprang up before his eyes. A small red dot flickered on the corner of the screen. He sat back and wondered what he was looking at. The red dot was slowly moving down on the map. He narrowed his eyes and pressed some buttons to find out what exactly this odd application was.

A panel pulled up on his screen with the name of the program embedded on the chit. He took a sharp intake of breath when he realized what Tali had given him.

COMMANDER SHEPARD'S LOCATION

Tali had given him the location device which they used to keep track of Shepard's nearby whereabouts. He concentrated on the map and recognized it to be a layout of the Citadel.

_Why would Tali give me something like this? I'm sure this is classified information. _Kaidan sat back in his chair and gazed at the holo screen. There was something eerily calming about watching a blinking red dot move slowly about the map. Perhaps because it felt like he was part of her crew again…little things like knowing where she was at…was strangely comforting.

_Tali…did she give me this to encourage me? _He wondered.

For several minutes, he watched the red dot go into the docking area in the Citadel and then move back out onto the wards. Was Shepard still with Garrus? What exactly was she up to?

For the past two years, he was always filled with regret for never telling Shepard how he felt before she died. He had wasted the miraculous event of their reunion with angry finger pointing.

_Didn't you want this opportunity?_

Kaidan abruptly leapt up from his chair and went for his door. _My mind is made up_, he affirmed to himself, grabbing his pistol and holster from the floor.

Even if she may be with someone else…even if she may curse him…being rejected couldn't be worse than the regret he would have to live with for the rest of his life for not taking the leap of faith.

He glanced back down at his omni-tool screen. The red dot had finally stopped moving…apparently Shepard was currently hanging around the wards that were known for ship repair.

"I'm coming, Shepard." He spoke aloud, his jaw set. _Whether you're ready for me or not._

* * *

"How does this one look, Garrus?" Shepard pointed out one display screen. "If we applied an upgrade like this to our battery system, it would give it a slight boost."

Garrus came up behind her and shook his head. "No good. The upgrade isn't compatible with our weapons systems. See? This one is based on the asari schemes…"

Shepard frowned. "Why would that matter?"

"The Normandy SR2 is based on turian-human designs, remember? Asari flight structures are small and compact…it basically won't fit our offensive systems." Garrus explained.

Shepard sighed as she gazed at the displays in front of her. The shop wall was completely covered in small flat screens, each advertising various ship schematics that were available for purchase. So far Garrus had shot down every one of the suggestions that she had made.

"Do turian-based weapons systems always have to be so large?" Shepard asked, annoyed at his knowledge.

"Don't humans have a saying? Bigger is better."

Shepard stifled a laugh. "Technically...that saying doesn't really relate to things like this."

Garrus looked at her with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"I'll show you the extranet pictures later." She grinned and turned her attention back to the wall.

As they both continued to look over their options, the volus shopkeeper greeted a turian C-Sec officer that entered the store. The turian did a double-take as he noticed Garrus' presence.

"Vakarian? Garrus Vakarian?"

Garrus looked up at officer and his eyes widened in surprise. "Chellick?"

"Is that really you, Vakarian? I almost didn't recognize you with that damage!" Chellick strode over and slapped Garrus on the shoulder. The turian then glanced down and noticed Shepard. "Commander Shepard? I heard reports that you were dead…I'm glad they were false."

Shepard smiled at Chellick and gave him a firm handshake. "Good to see you, Detective Chellick. It's been a long time."

"I'd say." Chellick replied. "I'm not a Detective anymore…I'm now an Executor."

"Moving up in the world, I see." Garrus said, clearly impressed. "Couldn't have happened to a more-deserving officer."

Chellick chuckled and modestly shook his head. "You were the one that was meant for this position, Vakarian…if you stuck around, that is."

"I had other priorities." Garrus shared a knowing glance with Shepard.

Chellick turned back to her. "In case if you're wondering, Jenna is doing well."

"Good to know." Shepard recalled the red-headed informant that she had assisted in her illegal arms case. "I hope she's staying out of trouble like you promised.""She's still a bartender…but tips me off with a few leads every once in a while…non-life threatening of course."

"You're a good guy, Executor Chellick." Shepard smiled. "I'm glad they have a guy like you at C-Sec."

"Speaking of which." Chellick turned to Garrus. "I'm actually really glad I ran into you, Vakarian. I heard reports that you were around the Citadel, but I wasn't sure where. I was hoping you'd come with me to the C-Sec ward…I think you'll want to meet a guy we currently have in our custody."

"Why would I want to meet anyone back at C-Sec? I told you when I left…I'm done with all that." Garrus crossed his arms.

Chellick sighed. "A guy turned himself in to C-Sec a few weeks ago. A pretty depressed turian. I know it sounds odd, but he's basically in a holding cell on a voluntary basis. I'm sure you know him…Lantar Sidonis."

Shepard's head snapped up and she immediately looked at Garrus. His expression was unreadable and unchanged. "Why do I need to meet Sidonis?" He asked evenly, without a hint of anger.

"I've heard the bits and pieces about your past with him. But we don't really have any specific charges on the guy. He confessed to killing ten men back on Omega…but the place is outside our jurisdiction. Like I said…he's only in our holding cells on his own choice. But he's slowly dying…as if he's trying to kill himself while he's in our custody. I was hoping you'd talk to him."

Garrus' eyes narrowed. "Why would I talk that bastard out of killing himself? He's responsible for the murder of several good men back on Omega."

"If Lantar Sidonis wants to die, that's up to him." Chellick answered coldly. "However, he is technically in custody of C-Sec and under my jurisdiction. I have no desire to have to deal with the investigations and media inquiries if he dies under our watch."

"So you want me to talk him out of dying? No thanks." Garrus turned his back on him. "Even if it means dealing with a bit more paperwork, I'm positive C-Sec can handle it."

"Garrus." Shepard finally spoke up and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You've been dealing with the guilt with Sidonis and your men for too long. This is finally a chance to get some closure…to talk to him face to face."

"I let him live, Shepard." Garrus' voice was low. "That's enough. I don't have anything to say to him."

Shepard shook her head. "Even if you don't have anything to say to him…don't you think you should speak on the behalf of your ten squad mates who never got the chance?"

Garrus remained silent and Shepard affectionately rubbed at his arm. "I'll make it easy for you, Garrus. Go with Chellick…I'll stay here. I understand this is something you need to do alone. Come back and find me when you're done."

Garrus let out a frustrated breath. "Shepard…"

Shepard stepped back and gave him a small grin. "I swear I won't buy anything without your approval. Go on, Garrus. You deserve some peace of mind."

Garrus finally conceded to Shepard's persistence. "Damn it. Fine. You win. But if I end up shooting that son of a bitch in the face, that's on your head." He turned to Chellick. "All right, let's make this quick."

Chellick gave a grateful nod to them both. "I appreciate it, Vakarian. Thank you, Shepard. Come on, Vakarian…I'll take you there right away."

Garrus wordlessly followed the Executor out of the shop as he led him towards the transport vehicle to take them to C-Sec. Shepard watched her friend get into the cab with Chellick. As the vehicle flew away, Shepard slowly stepped out of the shop.

She suddenly felt a small pang of unexplainable loneliness. She knit her brows in puzzlement at the feeling. Why was she feeling so isolated without the presence of Garrus by her side? She briskly shook her head to clear her head of the confusing thoughts and watched the cab disappear into the distance.

"Good luck, Garrus." She murmured under her breath.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks again for all your encouragement, you guys are all awesome XD


	6. Opportunities

**Chapter 6**  
**Opportunities**

Kasumi observed Shepard from above, letting out a small sigh of boredom. The thief was cloaked and invisible to the crowds below. She dangled her legs over the railings in the ceiling, but ready to spring up at a second's notice if her Commander decided to start moving again.

"Any updates?" The comm link buzzed in her ear.

"Still in the same spot as she was half an hour ago, Miranda." Kasumi replied. "After Garrus left, she just wandered out to the benches and hasn't moved since."

"Stay on her…the situation with Garrus put a kink in the plan, but she's most likely waiting for him to come back."

Kasumi let out a frustrated snort. "You know, I could be having a night on the town with Jacob right now…having some sushi…dancing in the club. Why couldn't Jack, Tali, or Samara do this instead?"

"Might I remind you that you were the one who volunteered for all this?" Miranda's voice still managed to sound sardonic over the static on the link. "Samara's too easily picked out in the crowd because of her Justicar status and Tali is doing some actual work with the engineers. And Jack is…anything but subtle. With your cloaking abilities, its quick and easy."

"I thought it would be quick and easy too." Kasumi complained, leaning against the beam. "So far, all I've seen is Shepard and Garrus doing their errands. I was thinking it would be more entertaining than this."

"This is _Shepard _we're talking about…did you really think it would be entertaining?"

"A little…" Kasumi grumbled and turned her attention back to Shepard. "At least more interesting than watching her just sit there."

"Remember…your idea."

Kasumi frowned and continued to look over her Commander. She wasn't sure when Garrus would be back and it looked like Shepard wasn't interested in shopping around without him. Kasumi mulled over the thought of leaving Shepard alone for a while to do something else.

Suddenly she noticed a person in the crowds going straight for Shepard. "Uh oh…" Kasumi leaned forward. "What do we have here?"

"What's going on?" Miranda asked.

"Looks like somebody is headed towards Shep."

"Hostile?"

"No…" Kasumi switched on her tech goggles and zoomed in on the man. She let out a low whistle. "Not hostile…but quite a hottie."

"Describe him." Miranda demanded.

"Um…" Kasumi concentrated on his features. "Black hair, built…possibly an Alliance soldier judging from his military pistol holster. Also, he has a cute ass."

"That sounds like Kaidan Alenko." Miranda sounded shocked.

"_That's_ Kaidan Alenko?" Kasumi watched the man slowly approach Shepard. "Huh, if I knew how hot he was I would have volunteered to go to Horizon with Shep at the time."

"Damn it." Miranda cursed over the intercom. "I'm on my way. I'm not letting those Alliance scumbags use Shepard again. Don't let those two out of your sight, Kasumi."

"Done and done." Kasumi replied with enthusiasm, glad to witness the fascinating scene of the handsome soldier awkwardly stretching out a hand to their Commander.

* * *

Kaidan followed the tracking beacon on his omni-tool until he found himself in the area where it indicated Shepard's presence. He glanced up and scanned the ward. Sure enough, only a few steps away, he saw Shepard sitting alone on a bench amidst the groups of shoppers. There was a slight hitch in his breath as he watched her casually tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Kaidan switched off his omni-tool and strode towards Shepard. This was his chance. He would never get an opportunity like this again.

As he approached her, Shepard was too engrossed in reading her email off her own omni-tool to notice his presence. He cleared his throat to get her attention. Shepard quickly lifted her head and he watched her expression turn from shock to recognition.

_Please don't punch me, please don't punch me. _He prayed.

Shepard gave him a surprised smile. "Kaidan! Is that you? What are doing here?"

"Uh…Shepard." Kaidan clumsily held out his hand. "I'm on the Citadel getting some reports done for the Alliance."

Shepard shook his hand. "I see, I thought you may still be stationed on Horizon."

He tried not to flinch at the mention of the colony. "Yeah…I helped square away some things there until back up arrived from the Alliance. Then I came back to assist the Councilor on several reports. It's good to see you…uh…well."

Shepard let out a small chuckle and closed her email to give Kaidan her full attention. "I've seen better days. Our crew is on shore leave at the moment so I'm just hanging around here until Garrus comes back."

"Oh…Garrus?" Kaidan tried his best to sound casual. "What is he up to right now? Why are you waiting for him?"

"He had something to take care with C-Sec…" Shepard trailed off, not wanting to volunteer any more information about Garrus' personal issues. "He and I are looking around for any new offensive upgrades for our ship. That's why I'm just waiting for him to get back."

"Ah, I see…" Kaidan gave an inner sigh of relief. So they weren't on a date…they were just working together. Unless…shopping for ship upgrades is Shepard's idea of a good time…and when it came to Shepard, who knew what she thought was standard dating protocol.

"So what are you doing right now, Kaidan? Funny running into you here like this. Looking around for some ship upgrades yourself?"

"Uh…sort of." Kaidan awkwardly rubbed his neck. "I'm off-duty so I was…uh…wandering around the merchant wards to kill some time."

Shepard gave a small laugh. "Well, I'm glad to see you're still the same, Kaidan. You were always a bit lost when it came to free time."

Kaidan gave a chuckle along with her. "Look who's talking."

Shepard simply grinned in response and Kaidan felt his heart pounding against his chest. This was Shepard…the woman he had mourned for two years and was standing before him with good humor even after he had rebuffed her.

It was now or never.

"Well, Shepard…if you're not doing anything…want to grab a drink with me on the Citadel?" He offered as nonchalantly as he could.

Shepard checked the time on her omni-tool. "Hm…I guess Garrus will probably be gone for a while longer. So what the hell, sure. Let's go. Garrus can locate me when he's done."

"Great." Kaidan couldn't believe his luck. Even though his time with her was limited, a chance was a chance. He would take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest. "I know a good place just a few floors above from here."

Shepard stood up and gestured him forward. "Lead the way, Commander Alenko."

* * *

Chellick led Garrus into the holding cells at the C-Sec station. Bailey was at the door to greet them. "Hello Executor…Garrus Vakarian. Excuse my surprise, I honestly wasn't expecting to see you show up."

"That makes the two of us." Garrus replied. "Shepard talked me into it."

"Ah…makes sense." Bailey nodded and swiped his keycard to unlock the entrance to the prisoner cells. "The Commander was able to talk you into anything. I should know."

Chellick ignored the exchange and followed Bailey and Garrus into the narrow hallway. "How is the prisoner faring, Captain?"

"Same as we left him." Bailey sighed. "Refuses to drink. Refuses to eat. Just sits there on his sorry ass."

Chellick nodded and turned to Garrus. "We'll leave you alone with him for a few minutes. Even though I understand your anger, just remember you're under C-Sec's watch…please don't do anything that'll cause me a headache."

"Shepard helped me come to terms with my anger long ago, Chellick. But I'm not making any promises." Garrus replied shortly.

Bailey stopped at one unmarked cell with a thick soundproof door. Before he took out his keycard to open the cell, he gave a sideways glance at Garrus. "Even though the doors are thick, there are cameras inside. Just let us know when you're done talking."

"Fine. Let's get this over with." Garrus muttered.

As Bailey scanned his clearance card through the scanner, the doors swished open and they saw a scraggily looking turian curled up in the corner of the small room. Sidonis didn't even look up to see who was at the door. Chellick and Bailey stood to the side to allow Garrus to go in.

Garrus took slow deliberate steps into the cell and felt the push of air as the doors closed behind him. Sidonis was still frozen in place, his head tucked between his knees. It was so easy…so easy to just kill him right now and avenge his fallen squad mates.

_Don't do it, Garrus. You're better than that. _Shepard's voice echoed inside his conscience.

Garrus took a deep breath to calm himself. He wouldn't let himself fall into the deep end this time. Shepard had rescued him from that dark place when he was on Omega. He wouldn't let it happen again.

"Sidonis."

The turian's head snapped up and his eyes widened at the sigh of his former team leader stood before him. "Garrus…"

Sidonis' haggard appearance was even worse up close. He looked malnourished and it looked as if his clothes have been unwashed for weeks. Shepard had been right…there was no point in killing him…he was already dead.

_Don't you think you should speak on the behalf of your ten squad mates who never got the chance? _Shepard's voice echoed again.

_She's right…_he thought as he met Sidonis' gaze evenly. _She's always right._

Garrus took another step towards Sidonis. "I'm here to talk."

* * *

**A/N:** Another quickie chapter...as always, thanks for your sweet comments! ^^


	7. Drunk

**A/N: **Many MANY love and thanks to LTFran for proofing/editing for me ^_^ The lack of typos and errors are all thanks to her XD

Sorry for the week long hiatus~ had to get a lot of work out of the way =)

* * *

**Chapter 7**  
**Drunk**

As Shepard and Kaidan entered the dimly lit bar, an asari bartender gave a half-hearted greeting while polishing her shot glasses. There were a handful of patrons in the vicinity who were drinking and chatting amongst themselves. The band composed of a human, a hanar, and a turian were on the small stage playing a soothing jazz melody

"Pretty interesting place, Kaidan," Shepard commented, gazing around and taking in her surroundings.

Kaidan followed Shepard into the nearby booth in the corner. "I prefer this place to the clubs down below." He pointed to his temple. "The music here doesn't give me a headache."

Shepard let out a light hearted laugh. "You never were a fan of the clubbing scene."

"I've never seen you step into those places yourself, Shepard," he joked in reply.

A young human waitress stepped up to their booth and took out her data tablet. "What would you both like?"

"What's the strongest thing you have?" she asked the waitress.

"For humans, we have a some asari rum that's pretty intense. We have some good drinks that we mix it with."

Shepard grinned as she gave Kaidan a sideways glance. "I'll have it straight."

The waitress blinked. "Sure. And you, sir?"

"Uh…my tolerance isn't as impressive. I'll just have a beer."

"You got it." The waitress tapped her orders into her pad. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

Kaidan noticed Shepard's look of concern and waved it off. "Ah…don't worry. Beer doesn't flare up my implants as badly as other forms of alcohol."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Back then you always tried to avoid it when we tried to grab a drink."

"That was because Ash could drink like a fish." Kaidan chuckled at the memory. "I turn out looking like a girly man nursing one lonely mug of beer compared to her twenty."

Shepard smiled. "That's true. She was one hell of a soldier, on or off the field."

The waitress quickly came back and placed the drinks before them. The pink liquid in Shepard's glass glowed suspiciously. She told them, "Enjoy," and then quickly stepped away to serve another table.

Kaidan eyed Shepard's drink. "I don't think that's something that even Ash would be able to handle."

Shepard picked up the glass and inspected it closely. "She was never the type to turn down a challenge though." She grinned at him. "Neither am I."

Kaidan held up his mug of beer. "Well then…to Ash."

"To Ash," Shepard agreed and clinked her glass against his.

Kaidan watched Shepard in awe as she downed the drink in one go. As Shepard slammed the glass back down on the table, Kaidan couldn't help shaking his head in disbelief. "That's incredible. I didn't know you would be able to hold your drink like that."

Shepard suddenly reached out and grabbed Kaidan by his shirt. She yanked him across the table, so her face was close to his. Kaidan gaped as he noticed that Shepard's face was completely red, noticeable even in the dim light of the bar.

"I know I'm not Ash…but I can still hold my liquor!" Shepard told him, her voice slurring.

"I can see that." Kaidan tried to back away but Shepard's grip was tight. "I think…that drink was a bit strong."

"Not true! I'm still sitting up right now, aren't I?" Shepard insisted, refusing to loosen her hold.

"Oh, God… Are you drunk?"

"What? No, I'm not _drunk_…" She shook her head. "I'm perfectly sobe…sob…fine."

"Yes, Shepard. I am very impressed that you are still conscious." Kaidan laughed nervously. "Now just let go of my shirt…"

Shepard's eyes narrowed and she moved her face even closer to his. "Kaidan…do you hate me?"

The unexpected question caught him off guard. "Wait…what?"

"I'm asking if you hate me!" she repeated, her body swaying slowly.

"Of course I don't hate you!" Kaidan exclaimed.

"You obviously dislike being close to me. Asking me to let you go…refusing to come with the old team for drinks…turning down my offer to re-join my team! What do you have against me, Kaidan? I always try to be nice to you…even if you were being a total jerk." Her grip tightened on his shirt as she shook him.

"I…I'm sorry about all that," Kaidan replied softly, placing his hand on her wrist. "But I swear that I don't hate you, Shepard."

Shepard's eyes began to water. "Then why didn't you want to come with me back on Horizon?

Kaidan swallowed. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with a drunken Shepard. When he played this conversation in his mind, he expected it to be the other way around.

When he didn't answer, Shepard gave him another shake. "Did you have something against me, you bastard? Is it because I saved you instead of Ash back on Virmire?"

"What? No!"

"It is, isn't it? You were in love with Ash and you've been holding it against me because I let her die!"

Kaidan shook his head and grabbed hold of Shepard's shoulders with both his hands. "No! I was never in love with Ash!"

"Then what is it?" Shepard asked angrily, her cheeks still a bright red.

Kaidan firmly lifted his face levelly so they were eye to eye. "It's because I'm in love with you."

* * *

Miranda was weaving herself through the crowds of people on the Citadel, making her way towards Shepard's location as quickly as she could.

Damned Alliance. Damned Kaidan Alenko. Miranda furiously cursed to herself. Shepard had come too far to let that cocky son of a bitch to muscle his way back into her good graces. Miranda perfectly recalled the video playback she watched from Horizon. Their team had watched Shepard extend her invitation only to be snubbed by her unworthy former squad mate.

Shepard had saved her, had saved Oriana…hell, she had saved the entire universe. If she couldn't rescue Shepard from Kaidan Alenko, what good was she as Shepard's second-in-command?

"Uh oh," Kasumi's voice buzzed over their comm link.

"What's going on now?" Miranda demanded, stomping inside one of the Citadel elevators.

"Looks like Shep's gotten herself a bit tipsy." There was more amusement than concern in Kasumi's voice.

"What do you mean by 'tipsy'?" Miranda impatiently pressed at the elevator buttons to get the doors to close.

"From what I've just observed, Shep just drank down an entire glass of asari rum. It's pretty impressive that she's still conscious, but it looks like she's really drunk."

"Great," Miranda muttered, wishing she could wire the elevators to go faster. "I'm assuming Alenko is with her?"

"You assume correctly," Kasumi almost sang. "She's literally inches away from making out with our hunky Alliance Commander at the moment."

"We want to prevent this!" Miranda yelled into her comm link. "Remember? The plan? Garrus?"

"I know, I know," Kasumi grumbled. "But it doesn't make the guy any _less _sexy…"

"If you see _anything _about to happen, you are to intercede. Do you understand?" Miranda ordered.

"Whatever happen to our agreement about this all being Shepard's choice?" Kasumi asked.

"We also agreed to lead Shepard down the right path. Kaidan Alenko is not the right path," Miranda answered flatly.

Another voice joined their conversation over the link. "I think it's only fair to let Shepard decide whether what's right or wrong."

"Kaidan Alenko had his chance, Tali," Miranda replied. "Shepard deserves someone loyal. Not a fair weather friend."

Tali was also trying to make it towards the bar where Shepard was at. "We've all spurned Shepard in one way or another, Miranda. She gave us all second chances… Weren't you the one who scoffed at Shepard's abilities before she saved us all on Freedom's Progress?"

"I…" Miranda hesitated. "I've never intentionally turned my back on Shepard when she needed me."

"Commander Alenko had no idea what was going on back then. Doesn't he deserve a chance?" Tali asked.

The elevator finally reached it's destination and the doors slid open. Miranda didn't answer Tali's question. "I'm almost there. Kasumi, if you notice anything about to happen, you are to intervene immediately."

"Fine. Will do," Kasumi sighed in response.

Tali opted to run for the stairs rather than wait for the elevators. "Miranda, we all promised it would be up to Shepard."

"Do you want to risk Shepard getting hurt by the same bastard twice?" Miranda inquired.

Tali couldn't hide the exasperation from her voice. "I think if Shepard wants to be with Kaidan Alenko, then that's her decision. We should just leave them both alone."

All of a sudden, a hand stretched out and grabbed Tali by the shoulder. She jumped in surprise and whipped around to see Garrus standing behind her. There was no doubt he had just heard what she had just told Miranda. His expression was indecipherable, which made Tali instantly anxious of his reaction.

"What's this about Shepard and Alenko being alone?" Garrus demanded.


	8. No Trust

**A/N: **Many hugs and thanks to LTFran for editing again XD Sorry that this chapter took so long, just got back from a long vacation =D (Partially the reason why this chapter is a bit short too) But thanks for all the sweet comments and messages~! You guys are awesome! ^^

* * *

**Chapter 8  
No Trust**

Shepard didn't reply to Kaidan's sudden confession. She stared blankly into his eyes, as if the words flew right over her head. Kaidan tightened his hold on her shoulders and gave her a light shake. "I'm in love with you, Shepard," Kaidan repeated.

Shepard's eyes became misty as she slowly let go of his shirt. "Kaidan…" she breathed, her lips close to his.

Kaidan's heart began to hammer against his chest again. "Yes?"

"I…" She quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "…Think I'm going to be sick."

"Uh oh…" Kaidan let go of her shoulders and Shepard immediately hunched over, trying to hold herself up.

"Shep!" A woman suddenly leapt from the ceiling rafters and landed gracefully on their table. She lifted Shepard's chin to inspect her face. "Oh my God…are you wasted?"

"Kasumi!" Shepard exclaimed and threw her arms around the thief. "I'm so glad to see you…you're good at finding things… you've gotta find me a toilet."

Kasumi noticed the empty glass on the side and picked it up. "Oh wow…you drank this down in one go. All the more reason why I respect you, Shep." She turned to Kaidan. "Hey, handsome… help me get her to the bathroom."

Kaidan blinked. "Uh…yeah. Okay." He wrapped Shepard's arm over one of his shoulders and assisted Kasumi in lifting the drunk Commander from the booth and towards the restroom on the far corner. He hesitated for a slight second when he was about to step into the ladies side but it was pretty apparent that neither Shepard or the mysterious friend cared enough to tell him to stay outside.

Shepard immediately wobbled into one of the stalls and slammed the door behind her. "I got it from here…" Shepard croaked. "Go away!"

Kasumi sighed and gave Kaidan a slight push towards the exit. "We'll be right outside… just holler if you need my help."

As the pair left the restrooms to allow Shepard her privacy, Kaidan couldn't help glancing back in nervousness. "Will she be all right? Maybe one of us should stay back there to help her out."

Kasumi shook her head. "Trust me… when a woman gets in that condition, the last thing she wants is a witness to watch her retch over a toilet. I'll check back in if she takes too long."

Kaidan realized that he was speaking to a complete stranger and remembered his manners. He held out a hand to Shepard's friend. "Oh… sorry, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I'm…"

"Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko of the Alliance Military. Formerly Lieutenant Alenko of the Normandy SR1 under the command of the Spectre Commander Shepard." Kasumi gave him a sly smile. "I've already heard of you."

"You have?" Kaidan drew his hand back suspiciously. "And you are…?"

"You can call me Kasumi," she replied, deliberately omitting her full name. "I am currently working with Commander Shepard on the new Normandy."

"With Cerberus," Kaidan clarified, his tone flat.

Kasumi shrugged. "With anyone willing to help us protect the universe from the Reapers."

Her offhand reply put Kaidan in his place. "True enough."

Kasumi turned her face up at him and grinned. "So what exactly were you and Shep talking about… all close and cozy in that booth there?"

Kaidan felt his face color and he quickly looked away in discomfiture. "I'll tell you if you tell me how long you were hovering over us when you jumped down from the ceiling."

"Fair enough." Kasumi took advantage of the opportunity of Kaidan's embarrassment to look him over up close. Her eyes quickly scanned the commander, focusing on his butt. Shepard's former squad mate was definitely better looking up close.

The doors to the club opened and a gorgeous brunette wearing a skin tight leather suit stepped in, her hair bouncing flawlessly to the side as she scanned the area with her piercing eyes. Her gaze landed on Kasumi and Kaidan by the restrooms and she straight away headed towards them, her heels clicking against the smooth floor.

The woman approached Kasumi. "Where's Shepard?"

Kasumi nodded towards the ladies room. "In there. She had a bit too much to drink."

"Shepard's drunk? Our Shepard?"

Kasumi gave a nonchalant lift of her shoulders. "Looks like she downed a tall glass of asari rum… straight. I'm actually impressed that she's still conscious, Miranda."

"Wonderful," Miranda huffed and turned her attention to Kaidan. "Alenko, is it? We'll take care of Shepard from here. You can leave now."

Kaidan narrowed his eyes at Miranda. "I'm not going anywhere."

Miranda stiffened. "We are Shepard's crew mates now. We will be the ones to take care of her. I suggest you go back to whatever menial duties your Alliance superiors have assigned you."

"What is your problem?" Kaidan took a step towards Miranda, squaring his shoulders.

"My problem is that a man who is no longer affiliated with Shepard is trying to be involved in matters that do not concern him."

Kasumi let out a low whistle and slowly backed away. She watched Kaidan's jaw flex with agitation as he stubbornly set himself against the most obstinate officer on Shepard's team. She bit her lip and stood awkwardly to the side. Miranda was always good when it came to her words, but this time her barbs were sharper than usual.

"Just to make you aware…" Kaidan spoke slowly. "I was 'affiliated' with Shepard long before you Cerberus people decided to play friendly with her."

"If that's a thank you for saving her life and sticking by her side while everyone else in the Alliance tore her reputation to pieces, then you are welcome." Miranda's reply was harsh.

Kaidan winced at the sharp retort but remained firm. "Even though I'm no longer on Shepard's team, I'm still one of her most loyal supporters…"

"A loyal supporter…" Miranda laughed derisively. "…who turned his back on Shepard when she needed him the most?"

Miranda's arrow found it's mark. Kaidan's resolve began to falter. "She was with Cerberus… I couldn't just join her right then and there."

Miranda's lips curled into a disdainful smile. "You Alliance types are always so quick with your excuses. Luckily for Shepard that a better man stepped up to catch her when you let her down."

Kaidan felt his blood run cold at her words. "A better man?"

"You know him." Miranda kept her expression serene. "Garrus Vakarian."

Kaidan was speechless as he stared wide-eyed at Miranda's triumphant smirk. Garrus? He remembered the turian's contemptuous look back on Horizon when he had originally refused Shepard. Kaidan was too shocked at Shepard's reappearance to react to Garrus' return as well. Kaidan began to recall the times he saw Garrus and Shepard together on the old Normandy. They were always friendly with each other… but romance was never involved. Shepard and Garrus together in _that _way? It wasn't possible. _They're both different species for crying out loud._

"What's this about Garrus?" a voice came from behind.

Everyone turned to see Shepard leaning heavily against the restroom doorframe.

"Commander!" Miranda quickly went to Shepard's side. "Are you all right?"

"Been better," Shepard muttered and looked up at everyone with squinted eyes. "Why are all of you moving around like that?"

Kasumi stepped forward and took hold of Shepard by the arm. "I guess that means you're still feeling that drink. Come on, let's get you back to the ship."

Shepard pulled her arm free and staggered in place. "I'm fine! Just… need to lie down for a bit…"

"My place is close by," Kaidan offered to Shepard.

Shepard nodded and reached out to Kaidan. "Yeah… that sounds good."

Miranda hastily stepped in her way. "Commander, I think it would be more appropriate for you to get back to the ship so you can lie down in your own quarters. You don't want to… inconvenience your former lieutenant, do you?"

Kaidan moved around Miranda. "It's not an inconvenience at all. My apartment is only a block away."

Shepard rubbed her face with her hands. "Yeah… that sounds good. I think I need to crash for a few minutes."

Miranda shot a pained look at Kasumi who simply shrugged again. "Commander, I can easily get you back to the ship by taxi," Miranda insisted.

"Don't worry. I'll just go with Kaidan." Shepard smiled at him. "Would you mind taking me to your place?"

"Sure. Right away." Kaidan draped Shepard's arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get going."

"Ah… but…" Miranda tried to protest but helplessly watched Shepard stumble out of the bar with Kaidan. She stomped her foot and clenched her fists. "Damn it!"

"She'll be fine. The guy is a pussy cat." Kasumi waved off Miranda's tantrum.

"Shepard is going to be alone with that traitorous Alliance bastard and you think she'll be just 'fine'?"

Kasumi sighed. "Tali's right. Didn't we all agree this would be Shep's decision? Even if she's drunk, she can take care of herself."

"Follow her," Miranda instructed. "I'm going to see if I can get a hold of anyone to give us some back up. Even if we need to break down the door and drag her out; Shepard isn't going to be alone with that man."

"What? Give me a break, Miranda! This isn't some big mission against the Collectors," Kasumi groaned. "You know, it's not too late for me to hunt Jacob down and get some dinner. I was really looking forward to that."

"This isn't about us playing matchmaker for the commander anymore. The Alliance Military is not our greatest ally and in Shepard's state, our classified information can possibly be compromised! I am not letting that snake slither his way back into her good graces without a fight!"

"Oh my God," Kasumi rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "Miranda, I think it's safe to say this is no longer any of our business. At this moment, Shep is probably back in Alenko's apartment having some drunk sex."

"_Who_ is having drunk sex?"

Kasumi and Miranda whipped around to see Garrus' chilled glare. Behind the turian, Tali sheepishly peeked her head out and guiltily waved at them. "Sorry, guys…"


	9. Debt

**A/N:** Many hugs and kisses again to LTFran for doing what I am too lazy to do! ^3^ Your sweet comments and messages keep me going, thanks so much! XD

* * *

**Chapter 9**  
**Debt**

"_Did they send you here to kill me?" Sidonis asked, his voice low and void of emotion._

"_Why would they need me to kill you? You're already doing a good job of doing it to yourself." Garrus crossed his arms._

_Sidonis kept his eyes to the ground. He was huddled in the corner with his knees up to his chest. Garrus noticed that Sidonis was definitely malnourished, judging from the sallow color of his skin. From the condition of his clothing, it also looked like he hadn't bathed in a long time. It was a sad state to see him in. Garrus would have preferred the bastard who was responsible for the death of ten good men wasn't wallowing in a cesspool of self-pity._

"_Then why are you here?" Sidonis muttered._

"_C-Sec asked me to come here and speak to you. Apparently they think you're determined to die while you're in their custody."_

_Sidonis let out a hollow laugh. "I'm sure that the mighty Citadel Security force has bigger concerns than a two-bit criminal like me."_

"_You consider yourself a two bit criminal?" Garrus narrowed his eyes._

_Sidonis slowly lifted his head and met Garrus' gaze with equal measure. "No. I'm a murderer. The worst kind. I killed ten people who I considered my closest friends."_

_When Garrus didn't respond, Sidonis continued. "I told you that their faces haunt me every night… but now it's worse. I can't sleep because all I can see whenever I close my eyes is the image of their broken and bloody bodies. I can't eat because whatever food I have in my stomach comes back up when I remind myself that they all died a slow and miserable death because of me." Sidonis' crazed eyes suddenly widened. "I can't live like this anymore, Garrus. I wish that human friend of yours never warned me. I wish you killed me when you had the chance."_

_Garrus knew about the haunting images Sidonis had spoken about. He had experienced the same nightmares after he discovered the bodies of his former squad. In a maddening way, those images were probably the reason why he was still alive. When he was stuck on the bridge on Omega with all the merc groups coming after him in waves, the main thing that kept him awake was the awful mental pictures of his dead comrades, bleeding and dying all around him._

_But the nightmares had stopped on the day Shepard came back into his life. Shepard's mere presence had somehow saved him from his own spiral of self-destruction. _

_Is that the reason why she saved Sidonis? Did she somehow know that Sidonis was going through the inner torture that he had gone through before she had rescued him?_

_After a long minute of silence, Garrus finally spoke. "Tell me, Sidonis. Why did you betray us? Was it the money?"_

"_No." Sidonis buried his face in his hands. "One of the mercs trailed me and found me alone. He was from the Blue Suns. He said they knew who we all were. Said it would be a shame that something were to happen to Weaver's new baby girl. They knew everything!"_

_Garrus stiffened. "What happened?"_

"_The guy said that the merc groups had already planted explosives in some of our team's apartments. If I refused to cooperate they would detonate and kill our families. He said all they wanted was 'Archangel'… alone."_

"_They just wanted me?"_

"_The guy said all they wanted was Archangel… and everyone would go free. He said that once you were taken care of, our little group would disappear." Sidonis looked up at Garrus again. "I'm not making any excuses. I was terrified. I honestly thought if I brought you out alone, the rest of us would be spared. I thought if anyone could handle themselves against all the criminals on Omega, it would be you."_

_Before Garrus could reply, Sidonis raked his talons against his head. "It's my fault for being so damned stupid. They planned it all along. They wanted you gone so they had a chance to take down the team and they figured they would have a decent chance taking you out while you were alone. As soon as I heard what had happen, I didn't know what to do. I just ran."_

_Garrus' expression was cold. "You still betrayed us. If you just told us what was going on, we would have had a plan in place."_

"_You don't have to tell me that. I already know. It's my fault… I killed them all," Sidonis repeated and began to rock himself. "Garrus… if you have an ounce of compassion in you, just kill me now. Put me out of my misery. Please!"_

_Garrus looked at the pathetic being his former squad mate had become. He gave a disgusted sigh and turned away from Sidonis. "Do you know the name of the human that kept me from putting a bullet in your brain?"_

_Sidonis shook his head and Garrus stared at the lone camera in the room. "It was Commander Shepard."_

_The name jolted Sidonis back to reality and he immediately lifted his head. "THE Commander Shepard? The one who took down Saren? Your former Commander?"_

"_The one and only." Garrus turned back to Sidonis. "Commander Shepard, who saved the Citadel from the geth… who saved the galaxy from the Reapers… saved your life. Do you know what that means?"_

_Sidonis was speechless and shook his head again. Garrus quickly strode over to him and grabbed him by his throat. "The way I see it, you not only have to pay back for what you've done to the squad, but you now owe Shepard for taking the time to save your miserable life."_

_As Sidonis began to choke, Garrus loosened his grip and let him fall back to the floor. As Sidonis coughed for air, Garrus bent down to his level and thrust a sharp talon in his face. "Too bad for you that you can't repay the ten dead men back on Omega. But Shepard's still alive. You owe her a debt."_

"_Then what do you want me to do!" Sidonis yelled, frustrated from Garrus' indifference._

"_Prove to Shepard that your life was worth saving. Make things right. Even if you were a traitorous bastard, you were talented enough to be on the team. You were the best black market dealer on Omega. Nobody knew how you pulled the strings to get so much information on illegal shipments." Garrus leaned in. "Go back to Omega. There's a clinic run by a doctor named Daniel Abrams. That clinic is the only legitimate business on that garbage dump. Use your talents and help out the clinic. Maybe after you dedicate your life to the cause, you might be able to pay back a fraction your karmic debt to Shepard."_

_Garrus abruptly stood up and banged on the door. "I'm ready to get out of here." The door beeped and slid open._

"_Garrus!" _

_Garrus turned around to see Sidonis slowly stand back up on his feet. "How do I repay my debt to _you_?"_

"_You didn't kill me and I didn't kill you. I think that makes us even." Garrus simply stated and left the cell._

* * *

"Garrus… Garrus!" Tali followed the turian as he stormed away from the bar. "Don't go and do something you might regret later! Let's think this through!"

Garrus froze in mid-stride and Tali bumped into his back. He turned around to glare at her. "'Think this through'? Really? Did all you girls 'think this through' when you all tried to play this sadistic game of matchmaker?"

Tali wrung her hands. "We… we just wanted Shepard to experience a little romance. A distraction…"

Garrus rolled his eyes. "Well, _that _makes me feel better. So I was nothing more than a distraction for Shepard?"

"No!" Tali shook her head. "The others honestly believed you and Shepard would make a good couple!"

Garrus caught Tali's choice of words. "Wait… you said 'others'. You didn't think Shepard and I would get along?"

Tali swallowed a lump in her throat and frantically looked around for someone to save her. Unfortunately, Garrus had stormed out so quickly that he left a gaping Miranda and an embarrassed Kasumi behind at the bar. Tali turned back to Garrus' glowering expression. "I… I didn't really think that you would be interested in Shepard… you know… in that way."

"Why?"

Tali awkwardly twiddled her fingers. "It's not that you're not a good guy… because you are! I just didn't think you would have feelings like that for Shepard." She paused and gave him a questioning look. "Do you?"

Garrus waved off her question. "Are you trying to get Alenko together with Shepard?"

Tali immediately squared her shoulders. "What makes you think I'm trying to do something like that?"

"You knew, didn't you?" Garrus stared her down. "That Alenko's been interested in Shepard when we were all together on the first Normandy two years ago."

Tali was shocked. "How did you know that?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone knew… except for Shepard," Garrus muttered.

Tali didn't respond for a few moments as she contemplated her words. "Chief Williams wanted to him to succeed. She figured they would be good together… she thought he would treat her well. She was making plans… you know… before Virmire."

"Williams didn't live to see Alenko abandon Shepard the way he did," Garrus shook his head in anger.

Tali placed a hand on Garrus' shoulder. "I think… if Chief Williams was still around, he wouldn't have done what he did."

"That's no excuse." He shrugged off her hand.

"I'm surprised you think you have the right to judge him like that. _You _left Shepard before any of us did," Tali accused.

"I left to re-join C-Sec after we beat Saren." Garrus pointed to himself. "Shepard encouraged me to work towards the Spectre candidacy."

"Didn't Shepard ask you to stay with her a little longer to help her clear out the geth hold outs in the Terminus systems?"

"Shepard could handle her own against a few geth." Garrus gritted his teeth.

"But you still left," Tali affirmed. "And didn't you abandon C-Sec right after you found out she had died?"

The awful recollection of her death resurfaced before his eyes. He quickly pushed the memory back into the depths of his mind and let out a grunt of irritation. "I'm done with this. I'm finding Shepard and bringing her back." Garrus turned his back on Tali and stalked away.

Tali sighed in frustration as she watched Garrus storm off. She couldn't understand why he was so bitter towards Kaidan Alenko. Perhaps it was just another social protocol outside the flotilla that quarians would never be able to understand.

* * *

Kaidan swiped his key card into the scanner and his door to his apartment slid open. Shepard was still leaning heavily against him as he helped her inside. "Come on, Shepard… just a few more steps to the couch," he grunted.

"Ugh… everything is spinning. This isn't good," she groaned, her head rolling side to side.

The sensors picked up their presence and flickered on, illuminating the small apartment. Kaidan guided Shepard into the living room and gently helped her onto the couch. "Here, lie down for a little bit. Do you want some water?"

"Yes, please." Shepard heavily fell back into the cushions and covered her face with her arm. "Last time I ever underestimate anything from the asari. From now on it's good old fashioned liquor from Earth. The last hour is a total blur."

Kaidan paused and turned around. "You don't remember what I said back at the bar?"

"Sorry, no," Shepard muttered, rubbing her eyes. "What were you trying to talk to me about?"

"I confessed my love for you," Kaidan answered flatly.

"Ah, Kaidan. You still suck at joking around." Shepard laughed.

"Right. Joking around," Kaidan grumbled as he went to his refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. "Do you want me to turn off the lights?" he asked, handing it to her.

Shepard grinned. "Why, Kaidan… are you trying to set the mood?"

Kaidan's face instantly flushed a deep red. "N-no! Nothing like that! I just figured… because whenever I get migraines, turning down the lights tends to help…"

"Relax, Kaidan. I'm just playing with you." Shepard let out a happy sigh as she pressed the cold bottle against her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes and inspected her surroundings. The apartment was clean but the furnishings were sparse. The only pieces of furniture in the living room were the two piece couch set with a lone coffee table at the center. "Nice place… a bit empty though."

"Ah, yeah." Kaidan sat down on the adjacent sofa chair. "I just moved in a few weeks ago."

Shepard sat up to twist open the cap on her bottle of water. "Really? What made you decide to get a new place?"

"It wasn't really my decision." Kaidan smiled wryly. "When you get promoted, the Alliance basically kicks you out of the barracks. Kind of makes me feel like they basically gave me this title just so they didn't have to keep paying for my room and board."

Shepard took a sip from her water. "That's pretty funny… I felt exactly the same way when they made me commander. On the day I got promoted, Admiral Hackett basically handed me a duffel bag of my belongings and told me that I needed to find my own place because they needed my old room for the new recruits."

Kaidan chuckled. "Yeah, that's basically how they dropped this one on me. I haven't even gotten the chance to pick out the drapes."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you ask your girlfriend to do it for you?"

Kaidan jumped in his seat. "What? Girlfriend?"

"You have one, right?" Shepard asked again. "It's kind of sad, Kaidan. What's the point of having a girlfriend if she can't even do a little shopping for you?"

"What makes you think I have a girlfriend?" Kaidan's face was twisted in shock.

Shepard made a gesture. "Your apartment is spotless. Back on the old Normandy, your quarters were always so messy. There was dirty laundry everywhere."

"That's because I just moved in!" Kaidan defended himself.

Shepard pointed to her bottle of water. "This is sparkling water. What kind of guy has sparkling water in his fridge? It's obvious that you bought it for a girl."

"That water was on sale at the convenience store… Sorry it's not masculine enough of a product for me to have," he muttered.

"What about that email you sent me a little while back?" Shepard asked. "You mentioned that you've been having some drinks with a doctor on the Citadel."

Kaidan froze at Shepard's words. He had forgotten about how flawless her memory was. "That was… nothing."

"Didn't sound like 'nothing'." Shepard smiled and set the bottle down on the coffee table in front of her. "Come on, Kaidan. We're all grown ups here. So tell me… is she hot?"

"No! I mean…yes! I mean…" Kaidan took a deep breath and tried to collect himself. "No, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Aw, Kaidan, you don't have to hide it from me. So what kind of girl is she?"

"I'm not seeing anybody!" Kaidan exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Then why did you mention it in your email?" Shepard blinked. "Did you make her up?"

"I didn't make it up. I…" Kaidan abruptly stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "Shepard, I sent you that email right after I saw you on Horizon."

"Yeah?" She looked at him uncertainly.

Kaidan sighed and crouched down so he could be at eye level with Shepard. "I was a jerk when we met again back on Horizon. I'm sorry that I said all that stuff when we were there."

"Don't worry about it, Kaidan. I told you that I had no hard feelings." Shepard smiled in response.

"No. It wasn't right. I was so angry when I saw that you were Cerberus. A little after I watched you leave, I had a really bad migraine attack. It was so bad I ended up taking a double dose of pain killers…" Kaidan frowned. "And sent you that email."

Shepard burst out laughing. "Wait a second… are you saying that _you_… Kaidan Alenko… got high and sent me a message?"

"I wasn't _high_." Kaidan scowled. "I just… didn't have full control of my faculties."

"I guess that explains all that weird talk about Ilos." Shepard's laughter slowed down. "So were you lying about that girl?"

Kaidan shook his head. "I did go out to have some drinks with a girl a few weeks ago…but she's far from being my girlfriend. Look Shepard, after you died I went through a bad period of depression. The guys at the barracks…they fixed me up with a girl so I would snap out of it. I was so miserable that I decided to go with it… anything to take my mind off of you."

Shepard gave Kaidan a puzzled smile. "I don't understand what you're talking about, Kaidan."

He rolled his eyes and gently pushed her back into the couch cushions. "Damn it, Shepard! I don't know how many times I'm going to have to confess to you tonight. I'm in love with you!"

She began to laugh again, thinking it was a joke, but Kaidan's determined gaze slowly began to make her realize the legitimacy of his words. "You're not kidding, aren't you?" she whispered.

Kaidan gave her a dry grin. "Didn't you just say so yourself? I suck at telling jokes." He slowly lowered his lips onto hers.


	10. A Crazy Revelation

**A/N:** As always, a million hugs and kisses for LTFran for correcting my errors because I am too lazy to do it myself ^3^

* * *

**Chapter 10**  
**A Crazy Revelation**

Garrus followed his tracking beacon over to the Citadel residential district and found himself in front of a large apartment complex. _Shepard and Alenko are here_, Garrus thought as he inspected the building. There were several floors… more than twenty. _I'll break down every damned door in this place if it means finding Shepard_, he resolved and began to head towards the doors.

"Perhaps you should re-consider your impulsive decision before you act upon it."

Garrus swiftly grabbed the rifle off his back and turned to see Samara standing serenely behind him. He sighed and replaced his weapon. "I don't know how you always sneak up on me like that. I must be losing my senses."

Samara smiled. "Your senses are perfectly fine. I have hundreds of years worth of experience in this sort of thing." She glanced at the door and then back at Garrus. "I hope you were not planning on destroying the entrances of several homes in order to find Shepard."

Garrus grimaced. "Was mind-reading also one of those things you also picked up with your hundreds of years of experience?"

"I do not have to be a mind-reader to know what you were planning on doing," she replied.

"Are you here to stop me?" Garrus asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Tali'Zorah expressed her concern after you left her behind. I was nearby, so I decided to accept her request to speak to you before you did something rash," she said idly.

"I wasn't going to do anything rash," he grumbled.

"That is good to hear. It would have been unpleasant for me to apprehend someone who I consider to be my ally." Samara stepped up to stand by his side, and they both stared up at the apartment building.

"Don't you think we should go get Shepard?" Garrus asked, annoyed at Samara's presence.

"Why?"

"Because she's in there with Kaidan Alenko, and she's most likely…" he realized what he was about to say and immediately stopped himself. "Er… she might be in need of help."

"Why?"

"The guy is an Alliance Commander. Remember those messages we intercepted from the Shadow Broker? What if he might be planning on bringing her into custody to the Alliance brass?" Garrus tried to explain in an unconvincing tone.

Samara's expression remained serene. "I am aware that Commander Alenko was a former teammate of Shepard's. I find it highly unlikely that he would betray her in any way…" Samara turned her eyes to Garrus. "I also find it unlikely that you would be so desperate to find Shepard because of the small possibility of her being turned into the authorities."

When Garrus didn't answer, Samara returned her eyes towards the building. "I apologize in advance that I do not have sufficient knowledge about interspecies relationships… are you feeling jealousy towards the likelihood of Shepard being with a potential romantic interest?"

Garrus stiffened. "No."

"I see." Samara's reply was just as short.

After a few silent seconds, Garrus cleared his throat. "Did all you girls go through all that trouble because you really believed that I would be a good match for Shepard?"

"Of course," Samara responded.

Garrus turned to face her. "Why did you all believe that Shepard would be compatible with me?"

"I cannot speak for the others…" Samara lifted her eyebrows. "But I personally feel that Shepard should be with someone who she can trust. You have proven yourself as a honorable individual and I feel it shows in your bond."

"Our bond?"

Samara nodded. "It is obvious to us all that she feels most relaxed in your presence than with anyone else in our group. I believe you would make Shepard feel at ease in such intimate matters."

Garrus tried not to get discomfited by Samara's frank answer. "You do realize that Shepard is a human and I'm a turian, right?"

"Why would that be a worry? Asari strive to find different species for mates."

"That's because you're Asari," he replied wryly. "Your whole… ritual is different from the rest of us."

"So your main concern is that you are feeling uneasy about your physical compatibility?" Samara now turned to face Garrus, genuinely interested in his answer.

"What do you mean by physical compatibility…? Wait, no! What I meant was…" he trailed off.

Samara simply tilted her head to the side and Garrus awkwardly continued. "I know that Shepard and I are good friends, and I know she trusts me." He sighed and brought a hand to his face. "But I don't think Shepard would ever look at me in _that _way."

Samara fought the urge to smile. Even though she had always felt it difficult to distinguish the emotions of turian males, it was apparent that Garrus was feeling embarrassment from this conversation. "I think you shouldn't make these assumptions over Shepard's feelings without verifying them with her first."

Garrus shook his head. "There's really no point in that. I know Shepard."

"Very well." She turned away from him. "I think it's about time I left you alone then. I trust that you will be no danger to the residents of this facility."

Garrus cursed under his breath at Samara's smug words. There was no point in searching the building, now that the infamous Justicar would be monitoring his actions. As Samara strolled off, one last question came to his mind. "Hey!" Garrus shouted at her retreating back. "Tell me the truth. You already knew who Alenko was… so why did you prefer me over him?"

Samara paused and turned around to give him a small smile of encouragement. "It is not about preference. I simply want what is best for Shepard."

* * *

Her head was clouded with confusion and turmoil. All she could feel his hot lips on hers, his breath on her face, and his calloused hands all over her body. This is Kaidan… her shy, soft-spoken Kaidan. Her former lieutenant who was embracing her so fervently and pressing his hard body against her own.

It didn't make sense. She couldn't think.

Shepard's brain couldn't register the overwhelming surge of romantic passion and reacted the only way she knew how.

Her fist made a loud cracking noise as it landed squarely against his jaw. Kaidan's head jerked back as he fell to the floor.

Shepard panted for breath as she gathered her senses. She saw Kaidan on the ground rubbing at his face and immediately scrambled off the couch to check on him. "Oh my God! Kaidan! Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" His eyes were still out of focus from the impact. "You still have one hell of a punch, Shepard."

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, moving his hand away from his jaw to inspect the damage she had inflicted. "I really didn't mean to. It was a knee-jerk reaction."

"I guess I should be grateful you didn't react with a knee-jerk," Kaidan tried to joke.

Shepard gently held Kaidan's chin and held it to the light. "Good… it doesn't seem like I broke it. You'll have some bruising though. I'm sorry, Kaidan."

He waved her off and shook his head. "No… no. I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have forced myself on you like that."

She pressed her lips together to form a hard line. "I really am sorry. To be honest, I really don't have much experience when it comes to matters like this. I didn't how to react."

Kaidan chuckled. "Your first reaction is to punch me in the face when I confess my feelings? I think that means you've never thought of me as anything more than your former squad mate."

"A _friend_," Shepard corrected him, her brow furrowed with worry. "I never saw it coming, Kaidan. I'm not really used to being… admired."

"You're kidding?" Kaidan laughed in disbelief. "You… Commander Shepard, Savoir of the Citadel… isn't used to being admired?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Shepard frowned. "People only see me as Commander Shepard, the hard ass and the military eunich. They don't really see me as… you know… anything else."

"As what?" Kaidan asked.

"A female. A girl. A woman," Shepard answered irritably.

Kaidan took hold of Shepard's hand. "I think of you in that way."

She gave a derisive grin and slapped at his arm. "Whatever."

He kept his hold on her hand. "Do you see me as anything else? As a male. A guy. A man?"

His stare was so intense that Shepard had to shift her eyes to her lap. "Kaidan, you've got to let me think about this for a little bit. This kind of puts our whole relationship in a brand new perspective."

"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked.

"For one thing, I've done things in front of you that I never would've done if I knew you liked me that way. God!" Shepard began to recollect the old memories. "Do you remember when we had that hot dog eating contest back on the old Normandy?"

"Oh yeah." Kaidan laughed. "I remember that Adams had you beat by two. I lost a lot of credits that day, my money was riding you. But I made it back when you beat him in the belching contest afterwards."

"Ugh." Shepard was mortified, her past deeds showing in a new light. "And all that raunchy talk during Skylian Five poker night?"

"To be fair, Joker was way worse than you were by far… even though everyone knew his tales of sexual escapades were all BS."

Shepard paused for a moment and looked Kaidan straight in the eyes. "If you loved me… then why didn't you join me back on Horizon?"

Kaidan let go of Shepard's fingers. "I'm… I'm sorry about that, Shepard."

The realization slowly began to trickle down into her mind. "If you really cared for me… why did you let me face the Collectors without you?"

The same flimsy excuses he had made previously before now became even more inadequate with Shepard's new grasp on the events that had occurred back on the colony. "I thought you were somehow being controlled by Cerberus… I didn't know."

Rather than getting angry at Kaidan's reply, Shepard let out an amused "Huh" and slowly stood up. She picked up her bottle of water from the table and strolled over to the kitchen to toss it in the garbage chute.

Kaidan rose to his feet. "Shepard… Are you mad at me?"

She shook her head. "Didn't I tell you earlier? I don't have any hard feelings…" She glanced at him standing at the kitchen entrance. "But I'm going to need some time to think about all this."

"About us?" he asked softly.

Shepard let out a chuckle and placed her hands on her hips. "About this crazy revelation you just brought down on me. I'm going to head out, Kaidan. Thanks for helping me sober up." She went towards the door.

He smiled deprecatingly. "So I guess you're turning me down?"

She pushed the button on the door and the panels slid open. She turned around and gave him a tired smile. "I didn't say that, Kaidan."

Kaidan took two long strides until his face was just inches away from Shepard's. "Good, because I had no intention of accepting your rejection."

Shepard's laugh was incredulous. "You've got a lot of nerve, Commander Alenko. What did you do with the soft-spoken soldier?"

"I just had two years worth of all this pent up. I finally broke the dam, Shepard." He bent down so his forehead touched her own. "Can't stop the flood now."

Shepard placed her hand on Kaidan's chest to stop his advancement. She could feel his heart beat against her fingers and felt her mouth go dry as she whispered, "I'll see you later." She stepped back and watched Kaidan's intense eyes disappear as the door slid shut between them.


	11. Unusual Plans

**A/N: **Many hugs and kisses for LTFran for her editing (as usual!) and thanks to all of you for your sweet comments~ fangirls of Mass Effect are the best! ^^ Sorry I took a bit of a holiday break XD I'm promising myself to try to complete this story as soon as I can~

* * *

**Chapter 11**  
**Unusual Plans**

She waited until she got into the building's elevator and finally allowed herself to take a deep breath. She slumped against the rail and ran her hand through her hair.

Crazy revelation…right. Shepard pressed her hands against her eyes. That word wasn't anything close to what she was feeling right now.

Discovering that the Collectors were Protheans…finding out Saren was working for the Reapers…_those _were crazy revelations. What Kaidan had just told her was more like…finding a Volus that disliked credits…or finding out Krogans had a love for cute bunnies and rainbows. It was something that turned her perception of the universe upside down.

Her last relationship…she could barely remember when her last relationship was. All she could recall was that she had absolutely no romantic encounters ever since she joined the Alliance Military. She wasn't joking with Garrus when she said the Military made it difficult for her to meet new people. Even before she had become a Spectre, other people tended to shy away from her notoriety as the infamous hero of Akuze.

The elevator doors slid open and Shepard quickly stepped out. She was still feeling a little disorientated from the drink. _Maybe I should get something in my stomach and take a long nap, _she thought to herself as she left the building.

She saw Garrus standing by the stairs and her eyes widened. "Garrus! What are you doing out here…ah, wait." Shepard smacked her face with the palm of her hand. "Crap! I forgot I was supposed to be waiting for you back at the merchant wards. I'm so sorry."

Garrus let out a small sigh of relief. Shepard was fine and out of the apartment. He was beginning to think she would be spending the night with the son of a bitch. "It's okay. I wasn't waiting that long."

"How did you know where I was?"

Garrus pointed at his Omni-tool. "The tracking beacon."

"Oh yeah. I forgot all you guys have that to keep tabs on me. Hah." Shepard laughed. "Tali jokes and says it's the only way to make sure I don't go off and die on you all again."

Garrus awkwardly scratched the top of his head. "So…how's Alenko doing?"

Shepard jolted from surprise. "How did you know I was with Kaidan?"

"I…met up with Kasumi. She said you left the bar with Alenko after getting drunk." Garrus said cautiously.

"Ugh. I forgot about Kasumi. I guess now everyone knows about my great embarrassment." Shepard grinned sheepishly. "The great Commander Shepard, knocked on her ass from one drink."

"How are you feeling now?"

"To be honest, I'm not doing so well." Shepard rubbed her forehead. "Sorry, Garrus. I don't think I'm up for doing any more shopping with you."

Garrus took a step back to take a good look at Shepard. He had witnessed Shepard emerge from the bloodiest battles completely unscathed and looking fresh as a daisy. Right now, Shepard looked drained and exhausted, with deep circles under her eyes. Garrus frowned and stated bluntly, "You look like hell."

"I feel like it." Shepard admit. As if on cue, her stomach growled loud enough to be heard.

Garrus coughed to cover up Shepard's embarrassment. "I'm a bit hungry myself. Do you want to grab something to eat on the Citadel or do you want to go back to the Normandy?"

"Let's go back to the ship." Shepard decided. "I've been on it for so long that it feels like it's exhausting to be away from it. Sounds weird, doesn't it?"

Garrus shrugged. "That's not weird at all. It is our home, after all."

Shepard gave Garrus a half-smile. Home…she liked the way he said that. "Yeah. Let's go home."

* * *

From a distance, Samara watched Garrus take Shepard by the arm to steady her as they both walked away. "It appears they are both headed back to the Normandy." She murmured into her comm piece.

"By both, do you mean Shepard and Garrus?" Miranda asked, her voice a low buzz over the channel. She and Kasumi had left the bar and were now searching for Tali who had gone missing.

"Correct." Samara answered smoothly and stepped out from behind the information kiosk that she had been hiding behind. She watched both Shepard and Garrus slowly retreat from her view.

"Do you think…" Miranda hesitated. "Shepard and Alenko did anything while they were in his apartment?"

"What do you mean?" Samara asked.

"She's asking if Shepard has a womanly glow about her." Kasumi clarified, trying not to giggle.

"I do not know about any glow." Samara answered seriously. "But Shepard's time in Commander Alenko's home was very brief."

"Does Shepard look okay?" Miranda asked warily.

"Shepard appears unharmed." Samara reported. "However, it seems that she is most likely hungry. I overheard them mentioning getting back to the Normandy to get something to eat."

"It's not very nice of you to eavesdrop." A acerbic voice interrupted.

"If you were willing to assist us earlier, Samara wouldn't have had to resort to all this, Jack." Miranda replied over the link.

"Up yours, cheerleader." Jack hissed. "Unlike you, I was actually preparing something for Shepard for her passion party."

"Oh God." Kasumi groaned. "Do we _want _to know what you're up to?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing more than a little push in the right direction." They all could almost hear the smug smile on Jack's face. "I'm glad that Shepard didn't end up fucking that Alliance asshole. Would've ruined everything I had to set up."

"What did you set up?" Miranda asked suspiciously.

"None of your fucking business." Jack responded with a cheerful tone.

"Where are you right now? On the ship?" Miranda demanded.

"No, Miss Prodigy. I'm on _Omega_." Jack replied back sarcastically. "Of course, I'm on the ship. Won't stay here long though. I'm going to make myself scarce so they both could have some time alone together."

"You do realize they're not going to be alone." Kasumi interjected. "Joker and Legion are still there."

"I told Joker if he knows what's good for him, to get off the ship and keep his voyeurism fetish in check for the next few hours." Jack smirked. "And that creepy walking pile of junk is actually going to help me out with all this so don't worry about it."

Miranda sighed. "Fine. We'll stay away from the Normandy too. Kasumi and I are searching for Tali, she has her comm link turned off and Ken and Gabby are wondering where she went. Let us know when you come across her."

"Whatever." Jack said simply and her mic audibly switched off, disconnecting her from their channel.

Kasumi turned to look at Miranda. "So what _do _you think Jack prepared for Shepard?"

"Knowing that crazy woman…" Miranda scowled. "I'm imagining something involving placement of inappropriate sex-related machinery or tools all about our ship."

Kasumi bit her lip. "If that's the case, then we're all going to be chewed out by both Garrus and Shepard."

Miranda placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "What's done is done. At this point, our mission has completely failed and we should probably be trying to think up a good alibi to give her when she discovers the 'surprise' Jack has waiting for her."

* * *

Shepard let out a sigh of relief when the doors to the pressure chamber slid open and she stepped onto the Normandy's bridge. Even though she was only away for a few hours, it felt like she had just returned home after a long vacation. Garrus followed behind her and they both turned to see Joker muttering to himself in the cockpit. The pilot was too busy focusing on something on his panel to even notice their arrival.

"Hey, Joker." Shepard greet him.

Joker jumped in his seat. "Shit!" He quickly shut down his screens and turned his chair around. "The hell, Shepard! I thought you weren't going to be back for a while."

"Didn't think I had to report my comings and goings to you, Joker." Shepard raised an eyebrow. "But I'm sorry if I interrupted your time with the special websites you have for the extranet."

"Uh…yeah." Joker uncomfortably shifted in his seat and looked at Garrus. "So…are you and Garrus going to be here for the rest of the night?"

"I don't know about Garrus, but I know I am." Shepard gave the turian a pat on the back. "I'm going to get something to eat and get some sleep. It's been a rough day."

Garrus lifted his shoulders nonchalantly. "I may or may not head back out later."

"Fine, fine. I'm, uh…going to step out for a few hours and then going straight to my sleep pod when I come back."

Shepard and Garrus looked at each other in confusion and turned back to Joker. "That's okay…but why are you telling us?"

Joker grumbled and turned his chair back to the front. "Isn't it my duty as the main helmsman to inform my superior officer when I step off the ship? Or am I not allowed to do that?"

"Okay, okay. Jeez, I was just wondering." Shepard lifted her hands to calm him down. She didn't notice Garrus eyeing Joker with distrust. "I'm going to head to the restroom first to freshen up and I'll be down in the mess if you need me."

"I'll join you in a sec, Shepard." Garrus called from behind. "I'm going to check on something with Joker real quick."

"Sure. See you later, Joker." Shepard strolled off with a wave of her hand.

As soon as Shepard was far enough from hearing distance, Garrus bent down to speak to Joker. "Did the girls put you up to this?"

"What? No…" Joker drew out the word, turning his head to look at the turian. "None of the girls put me up to anything." He empathized every word, widening his eyes and trying to jerk his head casually towards EDI's inactive monitor station.

So they were being watched or being recorded. Garrus narrowed his eyes and inspected the cockpit, looking for any recently added camera equipment. Garrus lowered his voice. "Who?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Garrus." Joker's answer was loud. "I suggest you leave me alone and go back to the crew's quarters. I need to do some final checks before I leave the Normandy."

Garrus gave Joker an impatient glare but the pilot's face didn't crack from it's insincere mask. He let out a loud grunt of irritation and turned to walk away. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

As Garrus disappeared into the elevator, Joker let out the breath he was holding in and pulled up the screen panel he had been staring at. There were several feeds from the observation cameras all about the bridge, and obeying his instructions, he had disabled several of them in specific areas for the next 12 hours.

EDI's station immediately activated. "Jeff, disabling the cameras were sever the surveillance feeds to those areas. If anything were to happen in those areas, the Officers would have no evidence to review."

"That's the idea." Joker grumbled. He confirmed the shut down of the cameras and turned to his left. "EDI, bring Jack on the line."

EDI's hologram turned into a pale shade of blue as it entered communication mode. "Connecting to Jack."

After a few seconds, the rude voice responded into Joker's earpiece. "What?"

"It's done." Joker lowered his voice as much as he could. "I did what you told me to do, okay? I'm stepping off the ship as soon as I hang up."

"Good." Jack approved. "And they don't know anything, right? All cameras are turned off?"

"Nothing at all." Joker growled. "They're completely clueless. Why did you need the surveillance cameras to be down anyway?"

"Because I don't trust the Illusive Asshole or that blue nerd that became the new Shadow Broker. These days, anything can be leaked onto the fucking extranet. I got Shepard's back."

"What the hell do you think Shepard is going do tonight?" Joker yelled into the line, not caring if Garrus of Shepard were within earshot.

"You don't need to know. Just do your part and everything will be fine." Jack spoke derisively.

Joker made a mocking face to imitate Jack, daring only to do so since she couldn't see what he was doing. "You better keep your damned promise."

"A promise is a promise." Jack feigned fake innocence. "As long as you do what I told you to do, I won't make a new overhead entrance in your cockpit. Just get off the fucking ship."

Jack abruptly ended the connection before Joker could make his retort. He pounded his fist on his armrest in frustration but it was immediately followed by swearing. "Damn it!"

"Is something wrong, Jeff?" EDI inquired from the side.

"No." He glared at his broken finger. "Just another reason to remind me why I'm still single."


	12. Special Occasion

**A/N: **Holidays are so crazy! XD And I love LTFran for helping me crank out another chapter~ I know I say this every chapter, but many thanks again for all the sweet comments! (I hope you all got just as excited over the ME3 trailer like I did ^^)

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Chapter 12

Special Occasion

In the restroom, Shepard stood over the sink and began to splash cold water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and had to chuckle at her reflection. Garrus was right, she really did look like hell. _I'm never going to have a drink again_, she swore the same empty promise to herself that she had always done after she got wasted. She turned off the faucet and wiped off the dripping water on her face with the back of her arm.

Shepard stepped out of the restroom and turned the corner to head towards the kitchens. The area was empty and dark, save for a few emergency floor lights that softly illuminated the walk ways. The only thing she can see before her were shadows and all she could hear was the echo of her own footsteps. It felt strange to have the Normandy so empty… Shepard was always used to ship bustling with activity.

"EDI," Shepard called.

"Yes, Shepard?" EDI instantly answered.

Shepard felt relieved at the AI's quick response. "Can you turn on the lights on this floor?"

"Of course, Shepard," EDI replied and the lights immediately switched on.

Shepard froze from what she saw before her. She rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. "Uh… EDI?"

"Yes, Shepard?"

Shepard slowly circled around the mess table. "Is there some sort of _party_ that I don't know about?"

"No, Shepard."

"Is this… spread for somebody in particular?" Shepard asked, her eyes still on the table.

"I believe it is for you, Shepard."

Shepard was confused and speechless. The mess table was covered with a perfectly ironed white tablecloth. A crystal vase was placed in the center, overflowing with a intricately arranged bouquet of roses. Fancy vintage silver utensils were tucked into carefully folded napkins. Two large polished silver covers were at each end of the table.

Where the hell did someone get a hold of roses? They were in space! Flowers from Earth were a rare and expensive luxury on the Citadel. And silverware? It was definitely antique. Shepard's mind raced, trying to figure out who would set up such a thing.

"EDI, who did this?"

"I'm sorry, Shepard. But I am unable to access that data."

"What?" Shepard laughed, wondering if it was another one of EDI's dry attempts at humor. "What are you talking about EDI? You're unshackled, you don't have any restrictions from Cerberus anymore."

"The block is not being caused by anything related to Cerberus. I am unable to access the data due to an unknown constraint."

"Unknown constraint? Are you under attack?" Shepard asked, instantly concerned.

"No. It is not a malicious hacking attempt by any means. It seems that somebody had placed a block to prevent me from accessing any data in relation to this dinner." EDI's artificial voice almost sounded irritated by the situation. "I apologize, Shepard. I wish I could relay more information, but I do not know."

Shepard scratched her head and returned her attention to the table. Somebody had gone out of their way to set this up and went above and beyond to cover their tracks.

She heard the elevators open and turned around to see Garrus join her at the table. From his perplexed reaction, it was obvious that he wasn't the one who set it up. "What's all this?" he asked, nodding his head at the table.

"Beats me. EDI thinks it's for me… doesn't know who did it though." Shepard stood next to Garrus, both their faces were equal expressions of confusion while they stared at the spread.

She didn't notice Garrus' eyes narrow suspiciously. Did Joker set this up? No… Joker wouldn't care enough to do something to elaborate. Miranda? She had the taste to make such an arrangement. Kasumi? She was a thief after all… it wouldn't be surprising if the antique silverware on the table was stolen from some museum.

Shepard stepped over to the table and lifted one of the silver covers and let out a gasp. "Oh, my God… I think that's an actual steak… dead cow, not some processed substitute. With a baked potato? I haven't had a potato for years! And is that… holy crap…" She whipped her head at Garrus with crazed eyes. "That's _bacon _on that potato, Garrus. BACON."

"Okayyy… I guess you're already impressed." Garrus chuckled and reached over to lift the other cover.

"What's that?" Shepard leaned over to eye at the other dish. "It looks like blue pasta."

"It's a traditional turian dish… it's difficult to find any place that would cook this anywhere other than on Palaven," he murmured.

"No use letting this go to waste! Let's eat!" Shepard enthusiastically said and quickly sat down.

He sat down in the chair across from Shepard's and slowly reached for his eating utensils. Who was the one who set this all up? Mess Sergeant Gardner was the only one with cooking skills on board… and even his rudimentary skills weren't good enough to cook such a complicated turian meal. He guessed he could scratch Miranda off the list… He recalled the time when she almost set the kitchen on fire from trying to boil an egg. Kasumi was even more unlikely… she smuggled take-out on board the Normandy as often as contraband. Samara? No… the Justicar was with him back on the Citadel, where did she have the time to do something like this? Tali was a good possibility, but he doubted the quarian had the knowledge to cook a meal for Shepard.

Garrus felt confident that he could rule Jack completely out of all this.

"This is delicious!" Shepard's voice snapped him out from his thoughts. He looked up to see her taking a big bite from her plate. "I was right, this is a real honest-to-sovereign steak! I have no idea how they got this, but I'm so happy they did!"

Garrus took a bite from his meal and paused. Shepard noticed his hesitation. "Does it not taste good?" She asked, her mouth full.

"No… it's really good…" Garrus frowned. _Too _good.

Shepard stuck a fork in his direction. "Garrus, you've got to try this bacon. If there was a food to die for, it would be bacon."

Garrus rewarded Shepard with a laugh and took another bite of his food. "Considering that I'm a turian, I probably would die."

"Must suck to be a turian." Shepard let out a blissful sigh. "Last time I had a taste of real bacon was when I was still with the Alliance and stationed at Akuze. It was Christmas so the higher-ups decided to throw us a bone."

Garrus tilted his head at Shepard. "You miss the Alliance, don't you?"

"Hm…" Shepard thoughtfully chewed her food. "I kind of miss the Alliance like someone would miss a chronic toothache. Sure you feel liberated once it's gone, but you get so accustomed to the feeling of having it there that it makes you feel kind of empty without it."

"So there was nothing in particular you liked about the military?" he asked.

"If anything… I miss the camaraderie." Shepard smiled softly. "When you're thrown into some cramped quarters on a barren planet with miserable conditions, it tends to bring people together. Back then, I was close with everyone in my troop… you know, back on Akuze…"

As Shepard trailed off, Garrus put down his fork. "Sorry, Shepard. Didn't mean to bring back those bad memories."

Shepard shook her head. "No…they're not bad memories at all. I just felt a bit nostalgic thinking about all my friends back then." She let out a small chuckle and gave Garrus a pointed look. "It's funny how easy it is to make friends when you're faced with impending doom."

Garrus nodded contemplatively. "So you and Alenko were really close back on the old Normandy before I joined?"

"Kaidan?" Shepard almost choked but made a quick recovery. "Can't say that we were… I barely spoke two sentences to the guy when I was assigned onto the Normandy. He was a really quiet guy back then." _Which is part of the reason why I feel so blind sighted by his sudden confession_, she thought to herself.

Garrus gave her a questioning look. "But I remember first meeting you guys back on the Citadel. You both seemed pretty close."

"Kaidan and I didn't really start talking until after the shit storm from Eden Prime. Like I said, it's easy to make friends when you're faced with impending doom., Shepard replied offishly, wishing they could steer the topic away from Kaidan. Her mind kept drifting to the events just a few hours earlier and it made her head throb with pain from her hangover. She shoveled more food into her mouth in frustration.

Garrus caught Shepard's sudden hesitation and decided to take the hint. "Uh… Shepard, I wanted to thank you for today."

"Huh? For what?" she asked in mid-chew.

"For pushing me to speak to Sidonis. If you weren't there to talk me into it, I wouldn't have done it. I got a lot of closure today… thanks."

Shepard smiled softly at him. "I'm glad to hear. You seemed to have a lot of pent up emotions after I got in your way last time…I didn't think you really wanted to talk to me or anyone else about it either."

"I… didn't mean to offend you, Shepard. I've been getting used to keeping things like that to myself," he murmured.

"Don't be. I would have felt the same," she asserted. "You and I are both the same in that way. We both like to keep that sort of stuff to ourselves. When you want to talk to me about it, you will in your own time… like we are right now." Shepard paused and let out a small laugh. "And we both don't require that much conversation to know how the other is feeling. Now Mordin on the other hand… he can probably take a lesson from the book of Garrus."

Garrus stared at Shepard as she chuckled to herself and began to finish off her potato. It was almost eerie how well Shepard knew him. Here he thought that Shepard was no more this commanding officer. She was aware about all the inner turmoil that was going through his head but gave him the space he needed rather than the pity he would have despised.

He had joined her out of gratitude, he had stayed out of loyalty, and he continued to stay by her side out of friendship.

Only friendship, right?

Garrus cleared his head of the sudden odd thoughts and forced himself to come back to the present. He glanced at Shepard's meal and let out a small snort of amusement. "Judging from your empty plate, looks like you really liked that meal."

Shepard blinked and looked down. She had literally polished off everything on her plate. "Wow, guess I was hungrier than I thought." She laughed guiltily. "I wish I knew who set all this up so I could thank them."

"My guess is that if they went through all this to stay anonymous, they probably don't want you to know that they can arrange such a thing," Garrus thought out loud, still trying to figure out who the mystery coordinator was.

"Guess not." Shepard grinned. "I'd probably bug them to hunt this real food down every other day. I'm quite impressed that they could cook food that you could eat too."

"Yeah. Not that I don't appreciate Gardner's attempts at dextro amino cuisine, but most of the time Tali and I end up surviving on our junk food stores we buy when we land on a fuel station." Garrus got up and began to collect their empty plates.

Shepard quickly stood up and picked up her own plate before Garrus took it from her. "I'll help. It's only fair."

Garrus simply nodded and followed Shepard to the kitchen. Before Garrus was about to place his in the flash washer, Shepard grabbed his arm. "Ah, don't put these dishes in there, Garrus. This stuff is actual antique silverware from Earth. It's not made of the same stuff we normally use. If you put it in that washer, you'll end up melting it or ruining it." Shepard began to look through the cabinets. "Normally there's a special type of cleaner you use when it comes wash it… so you need to do it by hand."

"That's pretty inefficient. Do all humans use such inconvenient utensils back on Earth?" Garrus watched Shepard dig through Gardner's storage drawers.

"Not really… like I said, it's antique. Ha! Here it is!" Shepard brought out a plain white bottle of cleaner, sponges and towels. She stacked the dishes into the sink and tapped a button to make the faucet run water.

"Then why use them at all?" Garrus asked, confused at what Shepard was doing.

Shepard smiled and used a sponge with the solution to clean the silverware. "Humans only use this kind of stuff when it's a celebration. Whenever my mom and I had someone special come over, she always broke out her fancy old china."

Garrus awkwardly took a sponge and began to wash his plate, slowly imitating Shepard's movements. "So… humans use these utensils when it's a special event?"

"Pretty much." Shepard began to gently dry off the forks with a towel.

"Huh…" He turned to look at her. "Does that mean eating with me was a special occasion?"

Shepard paused and met his gaze. For a reason she couldn't explain, she felt her pulse quicken and her face warm. She quickly returned her attention back to the silverware in her hands. "I… guess it is."

Garrus suddenly realized the impact of what he had just said and clumsily went back to rinsing off his plate. Was he falling into the trap the girls had set up? This atmosphere between them was uncomfortable… he didn't know how to act.

After Shepard dried the last piece of silver, she carefully placed them on the counter. She coughed to clear the air. "We'll just leave the utensils here. Whoever left it will most likely drop by and pick it back up. Thanks for the help, Garrus."

"Don't thank me, I really didn't do anything." Garrus rubbed the back of his head. "So are you going to head up to your cabin to get some sleep?"

"Yeah, are you going to head back out then?" Shepard asked, putting the cleaning supplies back in the cabinets where she found them.

"Maybe I'll take a nap before I head out. I could use a break myself." Garrus replied as they both stepped out of the kitchen.

Shepard nodded with a smile. "You deserve some down time too, after all the craziness today." She glanced at the mess table. "I'll take the roses up to my room. I don't think anyone else will be coming back anytime soon to take care of them."

Garrus nodded. "All right. I guess I'll see you later, Shepard."

Shepard simply smiled in response and turned her attention to the roses as Garrus headed towards his space located in the Normandy's battery area. Even though she didn't have much of a hand when it came to caring for flowers, she thought about asking around and seeing if anyone knew about taking care of them. As she lifted the fragile crystal vase that held the bouquet of flowers, she heard Garrus swear loudly in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Shepard spun around, the vase of roses in her hands.

She saw Garrus angrily kick at the doors to the battery. "Damn it! I can't believe they would go this far!"

Shepard approached him as he gave the heavy metal doors one last pound with his fist. "What do you mean 'go this far'? What's going on?"

Garrus let out a heavy sigh of frustration. "The doors to the battery won't open."

Shepard knit her brows. "That's odd. It was working fine earlier today. EDI, can you see if you can open these doors?"

"I am unable to open the doors, Shepard," EDI responded. "It seems that there is a manual malfunction in the control panel."

Garrus bent down to open the small panel to the side. As he lifted the hatch, he scowled at what he saw. Several wires were completely frayed… and it was made to look as though the erosion was natural.

"What a pain." Shepard huffed, looking over Garrus' shoulder. "The one day that Tali isn't here to fix the Normandy, everything just falls apart."

Garrus slammed the panel door shut and scowled. "Yeah… it's just a string of unfortunate coincidences. Well, I guess I'm stuck borrowing one of the sleep pods out here until we can get someone to fix it."

Shepard frowned. "But you hate the pods because you're too big for them." She recalled how he had set up the cot in the battery because his turian physique was too large for the sleeping spaces that were specifically designed for humans.

"It's fine." Garrus' reply was short. _If I find out who did all this, I'm going to make them suffer._

Shepard shook her head and grabbed his arm. "Absolutely not. Here, come with me to my cabin. You can nap in my bed."

Shocked, Garrus looked down at Shepard's determined expression. "What? No! Then where will you sleep?"

"I can sleep on the couch," Shepard stated.

"I can't let you sleep on a couch!" he refused, horrified at the suggestion. In turian society, the one with the higher rank would never concede to a lower position. Shepard offering to sleep on her couch was equivalent to her volunteering to wallow in a pit of mud.

She easily read Garrus' thoughts in his face. "It's a comfortable couch. There's no use to be so stubborn about this." She forcefully pulled on his arm with her left hand while she held the vase of roses in the other.

Garrus tried to free his arm from her grip. "Shepard, I can't do something like this. You're my commanding officer."

"Then consider this an order from your Commander," Shepard replied tersely. "You are going to rest up in my cabin until we fix the access to the battery."

Garrus was speechless as Shepard dragged him towards the elevators. _Oh yes, someone was going to suffer for this._


End file.
